The Quick and the Dead
by The mental patient
Summary: In a world where the dead don't always stay down, more things are let loose upon the world than the undead. Survival is not the only thing we must face even during complete societal collapse. It's not even the worst thing. (Zombies, and Akuroku. Rated T; for sexual themes and violence. Initial chapters rewritten, story unchanged. Enjoy.)
1. Chapter 1

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Breathing

* * *

When your mouth is full, you breath through your nose. Very simply put, it was the easiest option while you were eating, drinking, giving head, or just kissing. Roxas was just kissing.

It's was odd that, even though it's the easiest option, most people _forg__e__t_ to breathe through their nose while they kiss. They become too wrapped up in how good it feels to remember simple things like breathing, and thinking, and when to meet your fake girlfriend.

Those were times when Roxas didn't forget. In fact, it was all he could remember how to do: just breathe and it will be over soon.

It was Thursday morning and now was not one of those times.

He pulled from the other slowly, mournfully, and let him break the silence first; he himself was still trying to catch his breath.

"Do you have to go?"

The words were nearly inaudible, but the blond had heard them. Loved them. Would eventually miss them for however long it took to please all the people who made him remember to breathe.

He knew this was hurting him- them both; but Roxas had his reasons. He would never do something to hurt someone if he could help it. That is what he thought to himself every time he was tempted to stop lying so often, and to so many people.

He couldn't resist his most condemned temptation though. And he would never lie to him either.

"Yes. But she can wait."

They met in a mutually cherished kiss with lots of lips, teeth, and hands. Little clothes. Little breath.

"Roxas."

He blinked in surprise. He recovered swiftly.

"Sorry, Namine. What am I doing again?" He muttered. She rolled her eyes, and rubbed at the dark circles beneath them. Roxas couldn't help but notice how tired she looked.

"You said you would help me with this, that means you have to pay attention, Roxas. You're so quiet- ", her words devolved into a raspy hack as she talked, leaving Roxas genuinely concerned.

She held onto his arm for the fifteen seconds it took for her to not only finish coughing, but recover from the sore throat it left behind. Roxas took this moment to speak up, and he tried to tell himself it was in her interest and not his own that he decided to leave.

"I should go, I'm really not helping and I think I might be coming down with something too. My heads just not here today."

Namine swallowed around the lump in her throat, watching silently until he packed his bags. "I mean you don't have to go. It's just that you agreed to help, and I thought this would be fun for both of us. You said you liked pottery. You were late this morning, so I know you must have had another rough day at your um-" a soft questioning look from his fake girlfriend. A wan smile from himself.

"Aerobics classes."

She smiled, remembering the lazy lie Roxas had once given her when he was pressed for time and didn't wash off all the evidence of where he'd _really _been.

"I'm just saying I feel like we don't get enough time together, Roxas. And when you are here, you're... _not _here." ,but still, she finished with a small forgiving smile. Namine was as solicitous as they came. Why do all the best people find love in those who will never appreciate them?

In these situations, all he knew how to do was offer more than he wanted to give, but less than he should.

"You're right. I promise I'll devote my entire Friday to you, okay? Is tomorrow okay?"

She melted, and she smiled, and her eyes shone, and everything about her disposition positively beamed_. _Roxas looked away.

He eventually did smiled back, feeling incongruously cold beside her obvious displays of warmth and affection. He politely ignored the soft peck on his cheek as he stood to leave.

She called after him, "Bye Roxas!" , and he waved back and left.

* * *

His last class was always a free period. He almost never spent it where he wanted to be. Today he had a visitor though.

When he first stepped out the building the force of the grin that grew from the very center of his being almost hurt his cheeks. Then it dropped, just softly. Then more, and the closer he got to the other the more it fell. Eventually it was the same polite smile he would give Namine when he saw her outside of class by accident.

"Whoa, what happened to that big ray of sunshine you gave me coming out? What did you think I was someone else?"

Roxas saw in his eyes that the question lacked the bullets to be loaded. So he chuckled lightly, and smiled softly.

"Nah Reno, I just saw that ugly face of yours, and remembered not to get happy."

Reno laughed. Roxas didn't.

The redhead took the smaller boys hands into his, and he smiled warmly, clasping them into his own. "Oh, yeah? Well you aren't so cute either, kid. "

The blond found himself smiling a soft genuine little smirk. Reno wasn't always bad. Just mostly. "I see the party is pulled back in a ponytail today."

He shrugged, "I had business."

"You look tired."

He did. His hair was more disheveled than usual, his eyes had little bags, and his demeanor was slumped, and wry.

Reno blushed, embarrassed,"___Yeah__ well_. _Someone_ kept me up all night.", and he swung their hands the way a normal couple would. Roxas wished he could enjoy it more.

"All we did was kiss."

"But we kissed everywhere _so-_"

"_God _shut up." He let his sweet smile combat his callous words, but Reno smiled anyway. He liked how snippy Roxas could be. It ran in the family.

Reno's smile was warm, if not warmer than Namine's. Just like hers, it began to fall the longer Roxas did nothing but stare between their hands and the ground.

Lowly, "I haven't seen you all week."

Lower, "I've been with Namine all week." Another lie. "And I'm gonna be with her tomorrow too."

The redheads eyes shone with something fierce, vaguely jealous, and very serious.

_"I'm_ the one who loves you more."

_You're really not._

He smiled, "Of course.", and he swung their hands to add a lightness to the conversation that was not really there.

It was enough for Reno. An unsure glint lingered in his eyes a few moments longer, and then faded altogether. The taller boy lent down to kiss him, and Roxas immediately closed his eyes.

A lot of licking, a lot of nibbling, a lot hands. A lot of regret. A lot of breath.

_Just breathe and it will be over soon._

Both boys smiled as they pulled away, for different reasons.

"Can't you ditch Miss-oblivious and hang with me?

"She's taking me to something really big tomorrow."

"You've been with her all week"

"I was with you a lot last week."

"Ditch her."

"She'll think I don't care."

"You ___don't._"

"She's not ready to hear that. You_ know_ why.", his eyes challenged the redhead to combat the truth of his statement. Reno, though stricken, eventually nodded.

"Right.", his breath left him in a shaky rush. Roxas pretended to not notice the pain in his eyes. "Right, well. I'm free all week, and if you happen to open a spot in your ___busy _schedule- y'know between whoever else I share you with?- let me know.", and he turned to leave.

Roxas contemplated letting him walk, perhaps just for today, perhaps forever and out of the blonds life to never bother him and who he _really _loved again. Then he told himself what he always did when he thought about backing out of the webs he'd woven. That he had to.

"Reno.", he called. The redhead turned around expectantly. Roxas sighed through his nose.

It hurt so bad to do things like this. More than the kissing, and sometimes more than the talking; the smaller, more intimate actions that meant you loved someone more than Roxas really did felt drying. Drying, and draining.

It was not human nature to lie; but it was human nature to survive. So he did.

He raised his hands before himself, gazing at the redhead through the heart he laced his fingers together to create.

Reno smiled, and formed his own hand-made-heart as well.

They wouldn't speak again for another week.

* * *

Home was it's normal vacant space. His mother was a business woman, and his father was a deadbeat. There was no other family to report on.

He flicked on the television and let the screen light the otherwise dim room with the last thing he watched before going to school, and the last thing he'd watch before falling asleep. Reno was persistent, Namine was tiring, and Roxas was _tired._

He flicked through channels for suitable background noise. Just because the home was empty didn't mean it had to be quiet as well.

___'-and you are the winner!-'_

___'- DIRTY PROSTITUTE WHORE!-'_

___'-____people____-'_

___'-____eaten____-'_

___'-____tomorrow! tomorrow!____-'_

___'-reports of seizures all over Crenshaw, have been showing-'_

___'-____Troy____...you are the father.-'_

Roxas hurriedly flipped back to the news station.

___"John, what do you think? You think it's just a bad flu? A disease perhaps?"_

_"____Well, Sharon, I don't know, but I can tell you, it's one heck of a dilemma for the people of Crenshaw. People from all over the small city have come in with similar symptoms, including; vomiting, excessive sweating, blanching of the skin, unusual bouts of saliva flow, and in some of the more severe cases, complete mental break downs. We don't know any of the causes at this time, but it has been found that in most cases, the victim had some type of violent encounter with another who is believed to be infected. "_

_The news did not fully penetrate Roxas head__. __It did not feel real.__Nothing ever happened in Crenshaw. __Nothing._

_The camera panned over his local hospital, and eased most of his doubts._

_"____Thank you, Bob. ____R____ight now we're in front of Crenshaw's hospital, and as you can see, the hospital is literally packed to the brim with patients. ____We have a few cops here trying to keep the order off to the right and...____"_

The footage spoke for itself. Stretchers, ambulances, cops, doctors, nurses, and people in uniforms rolling the sickest ones into the hospital. How could something like this happen so quickly? Why was there no slow escalation? Diseases this bad took _time_.

_"__...gotten out of hand and that they are thinking of involving the military to help maintain some of the order. ____Why don't you tell us whats going on inside, Da____vid____?"_

The view cut to a young anchor, just as he adjusted his microphone. He plucked a surgeons mask over his face, and assumed a cheery disposition that was incongruous to the surrounding scene behind him. One could only marvel at how these news crews could stay so detached as they reported on the digressing well being of an entire town.

The reporter bravely made his way through the crowded waiting room, and gestured to the scene presented.

_"____Thank you, Isaiah. Right now the Doctors have had to put the entire hospital on some what of a lock down, ____taking after our friends in Hallow Bastion I see.____I____t doesn't look good."_

To say that was an understatement was also an understatement within itself.

Everyone was coughing, older people were _wheezing_, stretcher occupants were drooling, children were hacking, worried mothers were crying- and the news anchor was yelling over everyone that their wait would be fruitless.

"_Our local hospital is being stretched to it's resourceful limit, and Crenshaw hospital still marches on! Angry parents, and relatives, trying to get there loved ones attention immediately, despite all of the wings of Crenshaw hospital being occupied. Waiting, and waiting for help- a feat that seems under the current circumstances; futile."_

The camera panned around the room, and Roxas did not need to know the original melanin content of the rooms occupants to know they were all a little too pale to be healthy. The waiting room looked like, if he were standing in it's center, he'd be overwhelmed by the smell of all that was diseased and putrid.

_"____There are people everywhere, and they all seem to be showing symptoms of this strange flu the city is experiencing. Scientist are scratching their heads at it's sudden appearance, as they have not been able to pin point exactly where the disease originated from. Other states like 'Georgia' 'Atlanta' 'Washington' and 'Texas' have reported similar experiences, and even some in other countries. While we are unsure as to it's cause, or origin, we can say that it _is ___dangerous, and_ extremely___ infectious-"_

No ___shit__._

_"____And please, If you are to leave your house under any circumstances, please bring hand sanitizer, maybe some-_

An old woman gripped onto the reporters shirt, nonsense as well as spittle dribbling from her mouth.

With the camera still on him, he gave his best smile and tried to gently push her off, politely asking her to step back. Her grip tightened, his efforts failed, and onto chest went whatever she had last eaten.

The newsman literally shuddered in disgust.

_"____That's Brilliant. Fucking Brilliant. Someone get me a fucking towel. Fucking-"_

The scene quickly returned to the reporter outside who did her best to smoothly return to the news, as though mass sickness was a very common occurrence in Crenshaw, and her co-anchor had not just dropped the f-bomb on live television.

The camera-men were either really skilled, or really oblivious. In the distant corner of the screen, through the large windows of Crenshaw hospital, the old woman from the waiting room could still be seen. It was in the background that she still stood, quietly, vacantly- facing the camera.

It was very possible that she was not staring directly into the lens, but at the large amounts lights flashing from both the cameras, the incoming ambulances, and the circling police cars pretending to be of use to the hospital.

It was possible, and probable; but it just didn't _feel _like it.

He jumped.

* * *

**Tis dedicated to the lovely ****333Waterbaby333, ****and it still is. Lol, if you even remember me, msg me, how r u doing? Sorry I fail at updating.**

**PLEASE READ: I've updated these beginning chapters because they didn't seem an accurate reflection of what this story has evolved into. I never intended it to become so serious nor did I intend it to be taken seriously when I wrote it in 2010. Soooo... Here you go. I hope you give it another shot. Maybe this is a better reflection of the later chapters. I tried anyway. Hope you dig. :)**

**Disclaimer: Flesh taste nothing like Pomegranate.**


	2. Chapter 2

**THE QUICK AND THE DEAD**

**Force**

* * *

When someone grabbed you with serious force, you fought for your life.

So when Roxas flailed in his captors arms, swinging his legs and fist at some intangible force (without hitting anything in real life); the intruder laughed himself silly.

Roxas stopped flailing and blushed in the others arms.

"You need to stop breaking into my house."

"_I'll stop doing it, when you stop letting me stay_."

A soft, immediately comfortable silence ensued where Roxas let himself be hugged to the others chest tightly, simply because he had wanted to be tightly hugged to the others chest all day.

"_Ass_.", he found himself murmuring fondly. He buried his face into the others neck, smelling, feeling, and holding the other boy as tightly as he was being held himself.

Softly, "_'k'_ noise before the _'s'_ noise. _'__K__-s'_. _'__x__'_. A_x_-_el_. A_x_-_el_. _Axel._"

"Asshole?"

He watched the redhead pretend to be offended through drooping eyes, smiling at his animated gestures, and faux-disapproval. He cuddled farther into the long flailing arms, and let the others voice wash over him.

"Are you _falling asleep_ on me?"

The blond replied in a playfully flippant tone,"Are you _done_?".

Axel grinned at the sleepy blond in his arms, heart hammering loudly in his ears.

He then dropped his head down to hover over the blonds, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips as he did so. Roxas loved how nothing was ever really serious with Axel. Axel was a funny, and light-hearted kind of guy.

The older boy leaned in, slowly, threateningly. Roxas grin uncontrollably widened the smaller the space between their faces became. He half-heartedly tried to create distance between them, even when not so surprisingly, distance was the last thing he wanted with Axel.

"If I was _done_, would I still be_ talking_, Roxas?" He asked. Roxas smiled up to his _boyfriend_ adoringly.

"But you never_ stop_ talking, do you?", and his pretty little lips twisted into something sassy and mischievous, that Axel _really_ liked. Their blood pumped a little quicker.

His green eyes were on Roxas lips before anything else,"I-I'll stop talking now then.", and he covered the boys lips with his own.

Roxas snickered into his mouth and pressed back eagerly. He felt so _good, _so _sweet, _and Roxas forgot to breathe again.

They kept pressing against each other; with their hot hands, and their red noses, their long feet, and their tingling mouths. Axel felt like home to Roxas. Axel felt like warmth, and reciprocation, and _love._

They never pulled away, sometimes they never did on rare evenings like these. Their lips however did eventually have to part reluctantly, if only to breathe; there was no other reason they would pull away.

For a long time Roxas did nothing but appreciatively stared upon the others features. A long enough time that he flushed with embarrassment when the redhead finally noticed his dreamy gaze.

Axel shook with mirth, making Roxas, of course, grin himself.

* * *

In the interest of staying awake to further enjoy the redheads company, he prepared them both a meal that would look as though a very hungry person single-handedly ate lunch- and _not _two ravenous teenage boys after snogging on the couch.

The larger boy set the wide salad bowl down upon the end table, and crawled back on the couch to lay his head on the blonds lap. He smiled up at the blond, and Roxas smiled down at him, wishing only that this didn't have to stop.

Axel sighed through his nose, wishing the same things himself as he relished the dainty fingers that ran along his scalp fondly. The soft, caring, languidly caressing hands in his hair melted out all the tension of medical school. Axel kept it long exclusively for this reason, and nothing else.

"How was school?"

Roxas blinked in mild surprise, and continued caressing the others scalp.

"Oh, it was... boring." He said. Axel knew _exactly _what the blond meant. They both laughed.

"Boring enough to spend another day with me?" He asked, hopefully.

The blond chuckled,"I've already spent every day this week with you Lea." Roxas loved the redheads middle name. It was sweet, and charming. Like Axel. "I had to lie to them both that I had been with the other the whole time."

Axel smiled wanly, and then, like everyone else today, his smile faded into the troubled, longing frown that made Roxas want to look away. He didn't.

"Remind me why you do this again?" He whispered.

Axel knew why already. For everyone else, he would angrily tell them that they already _knew _why. But with Axel; he felt no less obligated now than the first time he was asked to reply with more or less the same words as the first time.

"Because as long as I date her, my mother will be satisfied that I'm busy. _That I'm not in trouble_. That I'm not dating you, or Reno, who apparently won't give me the same opportunities in life that having a girl my age, who looks almost exactly like me, will. And if I _do_ date you, she'll ship me off to a business minded boarding school in London that won't let me."

"I'd fly to London", Axel joked. Roxas rolled his eyes, stroking his hair.

"You have med school here. You worked too hard to risk that just to see me in London."

It never did feel real coming out his mouth. Not until he had first met Namine; and all her politeness, and unsure mumbling, and introverted blushes. He realized only then; that his mother wanted him to be like her. Unhappy, unsure, and constantly conforming to an image that- no matter how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to look at; was still only as two dimensional and temporary as the frame you put it in.

No teenagers in modern day had to deal with threats of being shipped to other countries for small offense like having a boyfriend, or bad grades, or partying...

Roxas wondered if he assumed too much of his mothers views though. Roxas was still unsure if Axel's 'delinquent' appearance bothered her, or if Axel's apparent state of 'male' did. She had never said. He had once assumed it was Axel's age, but his mother had said nothing for it or against it then either. She had explained that Namine was a suitable partner- and nothing else.

"I still don't get why you care." He would always at least _try_ to convince his boyfriend that there were more options than the ones he'd taken. He pressed his lips against the blonds stomach and said, "You will be eighteen in just a few months. That's not that long."

"Exactly. It's not that long. And I care about you. So if staying in the states means I don't have to spend a few weeks in plaid shorts and black knee socks I think it's worth it." he paused in his caresses to kiss the other slowly. "As I have said many times before..."

The eldest boy sighed, stroking the smaller face, and staring into the wide blue orbs earnestly staring back at him. He'd do anything for this blond. Even wear plaid shorts and black knee socks.

"Yeah. I know. And I keep saying you should live with me. That you shouldn't bother with this. That it's only one school year, and we could always wait for you to come back.'"

" And then I say 'I don't want to wait, I wanna stay here with you.'"

"And as always, I ask 'why do we have to hurt two people who genuinely love you to do it?'"

"And _I _say...", but a cool layer of indifference had already frozen the redheads eyes away from his. He decided to give up trying to defend himself to the only person he'd ever care to. He didn't want Axel mad at him. Axel, was the person with the most reason to be.

He leaned his head down on the others face; rubbing his nose, his cheeks, his lips against the redheads. He felt so _good_ to be around. So_ good_ to be beside. Nothing was worth losing this.

Namine, however sweet, was some odd projection of his mothers that she would have to get over when he was eighteen. Reno was a more complicated projection, whom could grant him a lot of money and strings- that he didn't want. Money and strings paled next to the love and longevity Axel promised him, whispered to him, kissed to him.

Reno, in most angles, even strongly resembled Axel. But he simply _wasn't _Axel. Reno was... infatuated with him. Axel was in _love_. _Roxas _was in love.

Roxas had not lifted his head and hands from the redheads face as he pondered this. He was still nuzzling, and kissing the other as his hands rubbed and held the redheads face close to his.

Through the small space in his arms that lit the redheads eyes, Roxas made out the glint of easy forgiveness that relaxed them both back into the sweetness that was alone time.

The blond smiled softly, and did not berate the butterflies in his stomach for fluttering. They never listened anyway.

* * *

The remaining hours of their Thursday afternoon were spent talking, laughing, touching, and watching old re-runs of shows they had already watched.

Almost too quickly, it was nighttime.

From his place on Roxas bed, Axel asked,"Why is your mom not home yet? Every time a car drives by I keep looking at the window thinking I should book it now before it's too late."

The blond snickered, and wetly smooched the redheads cheek, "She never tells me anything. She could be gone for a few more hours. Days. Hopefully a month... or five." he murmured the last bit to himself.

Axel sighed, eyes distant and dreamy, "Yeah that would be nice. I'd have you all to myself."

Roxas felt it prudent to say it now rather than later- or right before he'd have to go."I agreed to spend tomorrow with Namine."

The redhead sighed through his nose, but otherwise looked no different than he had seconds ago.

He found himself trying to smooth whatever abrasions his words had made with his next ones,"Just tomorrow. She was really desperate.", he justified.

The eldest boy did not respond immediately, but he smiled lightly, moving to lay a top the blond fully. Roxas smiled at the weight and heat of the others body.

Into the blonds neck, he murmured,"How is she anyway?"

Roxas knew that despite everything, Axel didn't hate the girl.

Axel had met her once or twice. Roxas had told her he was a childhood friend, whom his mom didn't want Roxas to be friends with. She had sweetly 'zipped' her mouth closed, promised to tell no one, and admitted that she liked Axel's '_badassery tattoos_'. Axel simply could not find it in himself to dislike the girl after that.

"She's fine. She nearly hacked up a lung in class though. I think she may be coming down with something."

Axel frowned, "Is she okay?"

"Probably. But the news this evening was so crazy, a woman _threw up_ on a reporter, and they said that the hospitals were literally _packed_-"

"_Eh_, that stuff is just there to scare you into buying vaccines. It's not dangerous, it's like every other flu, you get sick for a few days, and then it goes away.", at the blonds sidelong glance he went on." I'm in med school. I'd know."

Roxas wasn't really convinced, but he nodded indulgently.

"What was that about a woman puking on someone though?"

Roxas laughed as he explained the odd report to the other, laughing harder at the redheads reactions and commentary. When he finished, the tension of their previous conversation had dissipated into the lax content it always did.

He shifted under the larger boy, and brought his hands to rest a top his own. This was easily one of the funnest things to play with on Axel's long body. It was a sensitive place on the redhead; for his profession required he wear gloves for long periods of time. It left all the skin on his palms filled with lots of responsive nerves that Roxas _loved _to mess up.

He ran his nails down the others palm, and already he felt the others pulse quicken under his lips. The redheads body was pressed just so his neck was pressed against the blonds mouth. What better thing was there to do than bite down on it?

Axel's whole body flushed, and the little grunt that pushed past his lips was enough to heat the air between them.

His sharp green stare locked onto the blondes for one electrifying moment, and the smaller blushed under his gaze.

"What?"

He breathed out,"You know what.", and ran his hands, his lips, his tingly _hair _all over Roxas body. The blond was forgetting to breathe again.

Shakily,"Tell me."

Licking. Sucking. Biting. All on his neck, then his lips, then behind his ears, then under his shirt.

Roxas was all flushes and heat now. The butterflies were either swarming viciously or burning a painful death in his stomach. It had to be the latter; everything else was burning as well.

The larger boy pressed his tongue into the blondes navel, deeply, then lightly. The smallest of cries escaped the blond. Then he lapped, nibbled, and sucked the swirl of skin until it was red with the beginnings of a hickey. He smiled at the growing hardness pressed into his chest, and swirled his tongue even lower.

He was probably not the only one who had gone this far with Roxas. Roxas promised to never sleep with anyone else, but Axel honestly didn't care if he did. He had complete faith that no matter whom Roxas slept with, it was _Axel _he'd keep coming back to when he wanted more.

Roxas gazed down at him through his heavy lidded eyes, overwhelmed with the hot hands kneading his hips into submission, the hot mouth lapping just below his navel, the eyes locked onto his as he did so. Roxas didn't have a sensitive stomach. Axel was just that good.

He shuddered violently, and gulped in a few fistfuls of air; because he hadn't inhaled for awhile, and the pain was the only thing that reminded him to.

There was lots of pinching and pulling, and _sucking _on every thing that wanted it. Everything but what wanted it the most.

Those eyes reverently appreciated him for a few seconds more, and down he went, sliding the blonds boxers down with him along the way.

When your mouth is full, you breath through your nose. Axel didn't have to remember to do it. The guy was a natural.

* * *

Love was tiring in the best way sometimes. Limbs wrapped and tangled around limbs, lips lazily got in the last few nibbles and smooches before they were too tired to move as well, and eventually, you allowed yourself to cool down in the night time air and fall asleep. Eventually.

___'-____stay inside!____-'_

A pale hand slammed the snooze button, effectively cutting off the radio, before it rolled back into the best torso in the world. He was perfectly content to fall back to sleep, wrapped in Axels arms, pressed to Axels lips, and dreaming of a world where he never had to be with anyone he didn't want to.

Five minutes would be okay.

He snuggled closer and closed his eyes.

___CLANK!_

He brought the covers over both their heads.

___CRASH____!_

His face scrunched in worry, ears perking. Someone was wheezing. Someone was outside.

* * *

The blond was normally more cautious; but his sleep addled mind only thought of all the least threatening reasons someone could be up in the earlier hours of the morning, knocking down things and coughing. It didn't have to mean anything more than an early riser, or an insomniac had a cold- but he opened the door anyway.

There was a woman on the opposite side of the street. She stood at it's corner, back ominously turned from both him and the road. There was broken glass all around her, trash, and naturally the trash bin as well.

He surveyed the street; they were alone.

A car whizzed by in the distance, and he cursed himself for forgetting to check the time. People drove by Crenshaw's Suburbia at all hours of the day, but it must have been early for no one to physically be outside yet. No one but the woman. The street was as silent as it was seemingly empty.

"Miss?"

Now that he was just a touch more awake, he felt more unsure about bothering this woman. He slowly stepped off his patio onto the sidewalk. From here he could see little specks of silver- or trash- in her otherwise dark gray hair.

An old woman couldn't possibly want to mug him this early in the morning.

"Are you okay, Ma'am?"

Very slowly, very remotely, very nearly stumbling along the way; she turned around.

She stared, not at, but _through_ Roxas. He could not describe her gaze in any other way but _vacant. _She was dirty, and disheveled, and easily too old to be outside so early. She had to be sick. Roxas did not think to take his phone.

She shook, her whole body shook, and she brought her shaking hand to her mouth- to vomit, to cough, to yawn- he could not see. There was something in her hand.

He squinted hard, attempting to discern what unintelligible black mass she held to her face. Then it squirmed, it moved- and it _'____mewed__'_.

His face blanched, his eyes widened, and he moved to stop her.

"___N____O__-_!"

Another car zipped by, it's engine overwhelming his desperate plea. He stumbled away from the street, as it rushed past and when he next looked toward the corner the woman was gone.

His mind replayed the last six seconds of his life, and his stomach began to churn unpleasantly.

Roxas wasn't sure if he'd seen what just happened. He wasn't sure if it was truly as much of a threat to him as it felt like. He was not sure if it would mean anything for his or the well being of the people he loved.

What he did know was that every intuitive flag in his body was telling him to act now. And he would listen.

* * *

Axel was just walking into the dining room when Roxas rushed in, slamming, and locking the door behind him.

He stretched his body, groggily calling after the blond, "Roxas?"

The bedroom door slammed against the wall, and the last bit of sleep on the redheads brain was beginning to lift in concern.

He laid his hands on the door frame of the others room, watching the blond throw open drawers, and boxes, pulling out clothes. Roxas was shaking.

Lowly, "Why are you shaking? What happened?"

A quiet sniffle, "We need to leave."

He laughed uneasily. He wasn't expecting that. "Why?"

The smaller teen began stuffing the clothes into bags and rummaging the closet for goodness knew what.

"It's not safe here, we need to go. I don't care where, we just need to go somewhere safe-"

That was more than Axel had expected to hear at five in the morning. Roxas was either frightened and confused, or legitimately disturbed. Either way, the vagueness of his reasoning wasn't helping him to understand why they weren't safe, and had to leave.

He moved to stand before the blond, stopping the other before he could begin stuffing another bag. The smaller boy paused, though not without some fidgeting.

"Roxas. Slow down." He swallowed. "Your mom isn't back. It's five in the morning. Where are we suppose to go?"

The blond surprised him with his prompt answer, "To your apartment."

Incredulous felt like too small of a word for what he felt watching the blond toss a stuffed backpack upon the mattress and begin to pack a new one.

The redhead calmly reminded him,"My apartment is _two hours__ away._"

"We'll _drive_. Take my mom's car. You know how to drive, right?"

And Roxas was already zipping up and tossing that duffel as well. He pulled on a pair of fitted jeans and began on his shoes.

"Well, yeah, but..."

Roxas was a lot of things, and spontaneously reckless was not often one of them. Axel didn't want Roxas to get in trouble. He was still in school; what happens when one of his teachers call looking for him, and his mother assumes the worse?

"Good. I packed your clothes. Let's go."

The redhead stared. Softly, "Why isn't it safe here, Roxas?"

He opened his mouth to reply, and choked on his words. He had forgotten to breathe again- and that didn't feel good right now.

For a brief moment he nearly hyperventilated to make up for how long he'd been holding in his breath. In an attempt to suck in all the oxygen his lungs had been deprived of, he only dried and burned his nostrils from the force of his inhalations.

Axel quickly dropped to the floor beside him, and held the younger boy to his chest until he regained his composure.

When he had, the blond tried again, "Axel, please...", and he faced the other straight on.

A ring of pink lined his eyes, and his cheeks and nose were tinted a rosy red. His eyes pleaded with the redhead.

"Just trust me right now. I'm scared."

The redhead nodded. He grabbed his shirt from off the floor and got dressed.

* * *

"I put the keys in your jacket did you have them?"

"Of course-" Axels paused, his eyes widening. "Oh my god, Roxas, I lost the keys."

Blue eyes bugged unbelievably- and the redhead burst into a fit of giggles.

"Hehe. Sorry, they're in my pocket. Thought I'd try to make you laugh."

Roxas rolled his eyes,"Why would that make me laugh?"

But the taller of the two was too busy snickering to answer, and the blond reluctantly laughed himself- if only at the others giggling and pink face. He was so cute.

The redhead noticed the appreciative looks the blond was sending him and blushed- and then he yelled as he was abruptly pulled back and pinned against the car.

"Get the fuck off me!", he yelled. This attacker was one strong old woman.

"Stay here!", and into the house Roxas went.

The redhead struggled with trying not to hurt her, but also not be snogged- or licked, or bitten- by someone's drunk grandma.

He turned his head away from the woman. "Roxas!", he called.

His grip lightened, and the drunkard narrowly missed his jaw. Her mouth was chomping, her eyes were wide, and they look completely unaware of what was going on. It was incongruous with her otherwise aggressive behavior.

The front door swung open, and out ran his boyfriend and lover; shovel in hand.

The redhead shouted, "She keeps trying to bite me! And _her eyes;_ their fucking white!"

Roxas frowned, " Well she's old."

The white-eyed assailant turned around, poised to attack, and ran at the blond.

When something attacked you; you fought back.

The rounded end of the shovel collided with the side of her head in an audible 'thwap'.

She fell back to the ground and she didn't move again.

Roxas swallowed. His eyes darted all around him- to the woman, to Axel's also shocked gaze, to the bloodied garden tool in his hands.

"Oh, fuck...", he whispered. His hands slackened and the shovel fell to the ground. He moved his empty hands to cover his mouth instead.

Axel popped open the trunk. Leaving town was sounding more and more reasonable as the night went on.

Roxas bent down beside the woman, shaking her unconscious form. She wasn't breathing.

"She's not breathing, is she okay?"

Axel hefted one of their bags in and said, "I think she won't attack us again."

"I wasn't trying to _kill_ her!"

"It was just a smack to the head, she'll be fine, I'm sure.", Axel wasn't sure at all actually; but Roxas needed to hear that she was okay. So she was.

The older boy walked around to the front of the vehicle, retrieved the fallen shovel, and tossed it back to the other. The blond caught it swiftly from his place on the ground, and began to voice some of his many fears aloud.

"What if someone finds her and notices we're gone. It's going to look like we planned this."

"She attacked us, no one saw us, and I think we'll be okay.", and he walked back to close the trunk.

"Who's going to believe an old lady attacked us, Axel!"

"I don't_ know_. Let's _go_."

Axel was ready to leave. His boyfriend ran back into the house at five in the morning on the brink of tears and ready to leave town- and now an old woman had assaulted him and they'd gone and possibly killed someones grandmother.

"Check her pulse."

"What? Roxas-"

"Just do it, check her pulse!", and his hands wrapped around the shovel nervously. At the redheads flat look, "I wanna make sure she's okay!"

He sighed through his nose, and eyed the blond reproachfully for a number of seconds. Finally, he rolled his eyes, and knelt down beside the unconscious woman's body. Roxas watched on nervously.

"Well?"

Axel did not respond. He stayed very still, fingers poised over all her pulse points. The redheads face was unreadable.

"Ax-"

"Gimme a minute, Rox."

The medical student pressed his ear to her chest, then his hands to her chest. Roxas waited; eyes flicking between the redheads stern gaze and the old woman's empty white eyes. Axel pulled back.

Finally, "Yeah. She's okay. Let's go."

A sigh of relief escaped him then. He brushed himself off, and approached the car door. Axel hopped up from his crouched stance, and went to open his car door as well.

The grass behind them rustled.

Roxas sighed in relief, "I'm so sor-", he yelped as she lunged at him.

He threw her back to the ground forcefully, and angrily he yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

She gave no response, and once again, she was getting up.

She lunged again.

The shovel was yanked from Roxas hands, and in the next few seconds the woman was smacked to the ground with it's wider end of it. Hard.

Roxas turned to gauge the redheads expression. What was he doing?

Up the shovel went.

"Axel no-!"

And down it went again. And again. And again.

The woman's persistent groans of frustration sounded with each impact- then every other impact. The noises began to cease all together- but the redhead did not stop until the crunches of skull and bone became the squishes of tendon and flesh.

They both stood in stunned silence when he was done. The older boy covered in splatters of blood and sweat- the younger filled with fear. They stared down at what was surely a corpse now, until the redhead regained his voice.

"Get in the car."

Roxas crumbled,"_What..._the_-__ fuc__k__!_" His nerves were awry, his eyes were blurry, and his breath was coming out in uneven spurts. Tears fell, and he was just so _afraid_.

"Get in the car ___now_, Roxas."

The blond screamed,"She was still _alive_-!"

The redhead screamed louder,"Get in the ___fucking _car, Roxas!"

Stunned into silence, the younger closed his mouth abruptly. He took one last glance at the dead woman (one last frightened glance) before finally obeying the older boy. He rushed to open his door, and slammed it behind him.

Outside the car, the redhead dropped the shovel to hold his knees as he dry heaved on his empty stomach. His hands were shaking violently. He was in shock.

Of course he was in shock, he thought to himself. He killed someone. He brutally beat an old woman who had aggressively assaulted him and his boyfriend to _death_. Why didn't she just listen? What was wrong with her? Was she high? Was she on drugs? Was she sick?

It didn't matter. Leaving town may not fix what had just happened, but it made the most sense to do right now. In the forefront of his mind he told himself it was because Roxas wanted him to. But somewhere in the back, Axel knew it was because he was scared too.

He swallowed thickly, regained his breath, and rushed to get in the car as well.

He locked the doors.

* * *

I like how this is better than what I had initially written. I wish there was a way to add another chapter after this without having to completely reupload it, or completely rearrange it. Sigh. Oh wellz. Either way, thanks for reading. Reviews are nice. Follows, favs, and subs are encouraging as well.


	3. Chapter 3

He put the keys in the ignition.

"What was _that_!" The blond shrieked once more. Axel didn't respond, turning around to view the street, backing up. "_Axel!_"

"What!"

"What _was_ that!" Roxas yelled again. He tugged at his own hair frustrated, and backed out the driveway. "Damnit, Axel!"

"Can you just give me a minute!" He said exasperated. The blond glared, but kept silent.

He put the car in reverse, to get out the street, and started to drive towards the highway, which would take a while before he got out the suburb area of Crenshaw. He sighed.

He glanced at his angry blond lover, and saw him deliberately facing the other way. He turned back toward the road, guilty, and scratched his head.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you like that." He said softly. The younger boy stayed facing the other way. He shook his head, exhaling slowly, and decided to give him some space.

He thought they were done speaking, but suddenly the other spoke.

"Why did you do that?"

His hands tightened on the wheel, and he bit his lip.

"I lied." He said simply. Roxas turned to him, surprised. He grimaced.

"You lied?"

"Yes."

"_Why_? About _what_?"

"T-the lady, she wasn't alive..." He said stumbling over his words. Dark-blue eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean she wasn't alive, she got back up-"

"She didn't have a pulse!" He exclaimed. Roxas stared at him waiting for him to elaborate. "When you asked me to check her pulse, she didn't have one. I didn't want you to freak out, so I said she was alive, so we could just hurry up and leave. But then..." he trailed off hearing the other curse.

Roxas was silent, and he looked away, seemingly thinking. Then he shook his head.

"There's no way."

"Roxas-"

"She got back up Axel, maybe you just checked wrong. That's not impossible."

"I'm majoring in Health and Technology my love, I think I know a bit about checking someones _pulse_."

"Well maybe you made a mistake!"

"I _doubt it_." He snapped. He ran a hand through his hair shakily, eyes still on the road. The other teen simply stared out the window.

He sighed softly, and decided focusing on driving would be best right now.

They passed by a few isolated houses, before finally making it to the highway, silent still.

They'd driven twenty minutes already, and there was still hardly anyone on the highway.

Red eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but the owner continued to drive anyway.

"I'm hungry." The blond mumbled. Axel sighed.

"Why didn't you eat at your house?" He asked.

"Because I was to scared to think to." The younger sneered. The taller teen shook his head.

"Right." He looked at the signs as he drove, looking for exit's. "I'll take the next exit on 'Gerard', and see if I can find a seven-eleven, or something" He explained, concentrating on the road. Roxas nodded, and settled back into his seat.

True to his word, he turned on the next exit, passing some hotels, and a Mcdonalds.

"Wanna just get a burger from the drive through?" The redhead asked. The blond grimaced in disgust.

"I don't eat from Mcdonalds." He said simply. Axel rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Seven-eleven it is." He said, and continued driving, until he stopped at the outlet, pulling into the parking lot, and putting the car in park.

"What do you want?" He asked, turning the the gas off. The blond shifted in his seat.

"Just some water and uh...A bar I guess." He said softly. Axel smirked.

"That's all?" He asked, skeptically.

"Yes. That's all." The blond replied tersely. The redhead stared a few seconds longer.

"Roxas, I know I have a shitty apartment, and little to _no_ car, but I'm not _completely_ broke." He joked. "Come on, get what you want. It's _seven-eleven_. Trust me, your not exactly putting a _dent_ in my savings account."

The blond smiled softly, and rolled his eyes.

"Fine. Uhm...Can I get a muffin? And some milk? And like...some gum? And a box of donuts, and cookies. And some dorito's and chips. And soda. We'll be driving for awhile and all..." He listed, and blushed at the others amused grin. He laughed, getting out the car.

"Would you like a fridge with that?" He said. The younger laughed at him, and smacked his back as he shut the car door. The redhead leaned down and knocked on the window, getting the other to roll it down.

He stretched his body through the opening to kiss the other quickly, before grabbing the keys out the ignition. The blond sat and observed as he walked around the car, opening the trunk. Blue-orbs watched intently while the other teen retrieved his wallet, in the reflection of the side-view mirror.

The older boy, noticed this, and winked at him, as he closed the trunk. The blond laughed softly.

Axel leaned in the open window once again, kissing the boy on his cheek.

"Alright, wait here while I bring you your feast." He said, and tossed a cloth at the blond, that Roxas recognized as his blanket from home. "Case you get cold." He explained.

Roxas smiled sweetly, and didn't let the other go before he pulled down his head for a long kiss. When he finally pulled back, the redhead sported a goofy grin, and walked into the outlet, nearly tripping as he open the door.

The blond chuckled, and bundled beneath the blanket.

Inside, Axel was browsing the store for his own goods, as he obtained Roxas' as well. He'd found the Muffin (banana nut; Roxas favorite), the gum (Bazooka; Axel's favorite), the donuts (coffee crumb; their favorite), the cookies (Oatmeal; no ones favorite, but that's all they had), Dorito's (who doesn't like those?), chips (Lays; it was there), Soda ( Pepsi; would do).

A hotdog, a burrito, a liter of mountain dew, a hot pocket (you never know), and four packs of 'Zingers' later, Axel was wondering where the milk was.

Now where was it?

"Excuse me!" He called out to the cashier. They were sitting, with their head face down against the counter. "Sir?"

No answer.

He moved a bit closer, and set his stuff on the counter.

He was growing nervous.

He reached out a palm to touch their shoulder, and jumped back as they shifted.

Then he heard them snore.

He sighed, laughing at himself and rubbing his sweaty palms against his jacket. He nudged the person.

"Sir-" The clerk jumped up, eyes red from sleep. He rubbed his eyes.

"How can I help you, sir?" They said quickly, as if rehearsed. He spoke with a Pakistani accent, smiling sleepily.

The redhead cleared his throat.

"Uhm..." was all he could articulate before the cashier got the message, grabbing his stuff.

" Ah, you have a thanksgiving dinner here, where are you headed?" The man joked. He looked early twenties, late teens, tanned skin.

Looked like a complete nerd though.

"Er...The next town over." He answered. The dude chuckled, and leaned in.

"Going for a little midnight 'elope?" He whispered. Axel turned to the car, seeing the blond of his dreams looking out the window in thought. He remembered back to all those times he had wished for Roxas to come live with him, and smiled.

"Something like that." He murmured. The cashier caught his line of sight, and frowned.

"That your girl?" He asked, nodding towards Roxas. Axel smiled, and knew better than to be honest in this situation.

"Yeah." He said. The man laughed, and began ringing up his stuff.

"She's a cutie." He replied. Axel couldn't help but grin like an idiot at that.

"Yeah, she is."

The man nodded, and continued ringing up his stuff.

"That'll be forty dollars, and fifty cents." He said.

He rushed for his wallet, thumbing through the bills, and counting. He frowned.

All he had was thirty dollars.

He'd forgotten to go to the bank this week.

"Uh...Do you have an ATM?" He asked.

"Yeah, Yeah! It's right outside, to your left." He helped. Axel nodded his thanks and walked outside, heading over to the machine.

It was a bulky thing, with a small screen to show your card balance. Next to it were three rusted looking poles, sticking up out the ground, painted in an eye burning yellow. Axel assumed it was for people with bikes.

He turned, as Roxas rolled down the window of the car.

"What happened?" He called. The redhead smiled, and held up his wallet shrugging. The blond got the message and laughed, rolling his window back up.

He watched him settle into the seat, and finally started going through the process of getting money off his card, punching in the numbers.

The '8' key was stuck. He groaned.

He tried again, but no matter how many times he tried, it wouldn't budge. Finally he rummaged through his wallet, and pulled out his card, only to drop it with his sweaty hands.

He mumbled a 'curse' and bent down to pick it up, wiping it off on his jacket.

He paused as he noticed a pair of feet standing right in front of him. He raised his head slowly, and saw a very tall man, with the left side of his face gouged in. Brutally.

He held back a yelp, and flew backwards, standing up quickly.

The man immediately ran to attack him, and this time, the redhead was having trouble fighting back. The lady at Roxas house was old and weak. But this guy...

"Fuck!" He cursed, barely managing to keep the guy off him.

Axel's struggling ceased for a moment as he realized this dude looked _really_ bad.

Like, _dead_ bad.

"Axel!"

He looked up to see Roxas with his head peeking out the sun-roof, a look of worry.

"Stay in the car Roxas!" He commanded. He didn't want the blond getting hurt of course.

"But-!"

"Just stay in the car!" He begged, panting as his arms were beginning to hurt from fighting the crazed dude off.

Roxas panicked, and looked inside the store as the cashier leaned casually over the counter.

"Hey!" He called, waving his arms from the cars sunroof. "Hey!"

The cashier looked up, confused.

"Help us!" Roxas yelled once more. The man walked from behind his counter, coming outside, a look of concern on his features.

He opened the door quickly, standing on the side-walk.

"Wha-" He cut himself off glancing to his left, seeing Axel struggle against the ATM. His eyes widened comically. "What-"

"Can you help my boyfriend!" Roxas yelled. The cashier nodded fervently, shocked, and ran back into the store, looking for something behind the counter.

Axel gave up trying not to hurt the rouge dude, and swung at him, hard enough to knock him back.

The crazy guy looked almost offended, and growled, moving to attack him once more, lunging forward.

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

_Bang!_

The bullets pushed the beaten man back a step with each shot. He stumbled, and fell backwards with a gargled shriek.

Directly on a pole.

Blood shot up messily, as the metal column shot straight through the mans stomach, bringing chunks of meat up as well. The stringy flesh glistened against the pole, slowly sliding down towards where it came.

None of them moved, horrified.

The cashier dropped to the ground, grabbing his head.

"I've killed him!"

Axel was shook out of his stupor by the strained cry.

"I've killed him-"

"No, you didn't, you were trying to protect me, that wasn't your fault-"

"No, no, I killed him!Death follows me every where I go!" He exclaimed, looking as if he had a revelation. "I-I was at my mama's birthday party, and my cousin had gotten cake! Oh, it was so _nice_...I didn't mean to kill it, but when it bit granma-ma... I didn't know it was his pet! I didn't I swear! You believe me right!"

"W-we believe you!" Roxas assured. The blond passed a disturbed look to his boyfriend, and the redhead got the memo.

"H-hey..." Axel said, getting the clerks attention. The man looked at him eyes wide. "Whats your name?"

"R-Rafael" He murmured. Axel nodded.

" Okay, Rafael. Are you gonna be okay here by yourself? We got attacked earlier, back in Crenshaw. We think something might be up." He finished. Roxas nodded in agreement.

"Oh, it is getting close to Christmas, it's probably just party-goers, a little bit tipsy." The cashier assured, nodding to reassure all three of them, himself included. Axel looked ready to slap him.

"_That_!" He said gesturing to the dead man. "Was not _tipsy_!"

"I-I don't know, I just..." He paused, looking down at his hands. He seemed to be off in his thoughts, before he spoke up.

"A few days ago... My granma-ma... She was acting strange. She was vomiting, and she wouldn't stop _eating_! She'd eat until her stomach hurt, throw up, and eat _again_!" He said, incredulous. "It was crazy, and soon she stopped eating all together! She'd stay in bed all day and night, which is strange because granma-ma loved to go outside!" He said, sullenly. Axel and Roxas looked sympathetic, as he continued. "Then...then yesterday. It was horrible. She was screaming all day, and we couldn't do anything for her. She was in so much pain. We tried to take her to the hospital, but it was packed, no one would let us in! So we waited, and waited, and by the time we were allowed admittance...the doctors said she was dead..." He trailed off.

Axel put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." He said quietly. Rafael looked up with the eyes of a determined child.

"I don't believe it though! I saw it, with my own eyes she was alive!" He exclaimed. Axel and Roxas looked to each other with mutual looks of surprise.

"What did you see?" Axel asked quickly. Rafael stuttered to speak.

"S-s-she was there, walking, and...she walked right by me. I tried to call her, but she didn't look at me. She was just staring off into the distance...I saw her attack someone, too! They were able to throw her off, and run away, but she didn't do anything. " He said. "She wasn't herself at all."

"Really?" Roxas asked this time. Rafael nodded. "Do you think it was some sort of disease then?"

"No. I don't think so." Then he laughed lightly. " It was...It was almost like she was a-"

_crunch_

Three heads snapped to the side, looking next to the ATM.

The dead man was getting back up.

He struggled some, groaning and grunting as he raised himself. Then he dropped back down with moan. Using his hands this time, he pushed himself up all the way off the pole, making unnerving welsh noises as he did so. He stumbled forward to regain his balance, and stood still staring, with a gaping whole in it's stomach. It showed right through to the trees behind him.

All too shocked too move, they stared at the man as he took slow steps forward.

The limping man turned towards Roxas, making the blond gasp.

He ran.

_Bang!_

Roxas jumped at the sound, and cringed, watching flesh fly out the assumed dead-mans head. He looked to Rafael, who was obviously no more calm than himself. The Pakistani man stood holding the gun as if it was diseased, with his eyes closed.

Axel glanced at the dead man once again, and saw the bullet had gone right through the head this time.

He cleared his throat.

"Good shot." He mumbled. Rafael laughed despite himself.

"Thanks." He said.

_'Aaaaah!'_

Their were more undead loonies running there way, some screaming their heads off, and Roxas hit his hands on the roof of the car to get the other two boys attention.

"Axel, come on, we need to go!" Roxas reminded the other. Axel nodded quickly, and looked back to Rafael, about to speak. The cashier shook his head quickly, and lifted the gun up, aiming it across the street.

"You don't have to pay, just take the food and go!" He said, urging Axel away. A thin red brow was raised, unsure.

"You serious?"

Rafael gave him an amused look, and a small smile.

"I have a feeling that I won't be getting any _living_ customers this time around."

Axel chuckled, and ran to get the goods out the store. He grabbed a few more things that he thought he might need.

Meaning he didn't really need it, and he just got it cause it was free.

He paused outside, next to Rafael, who was shooting away as more people, bloody and dismembered, came running towards them quickly.

"You want a lift!" He called over the shooting. Rafael shook his head.

"I'll be fine! Just take your boyfriend and go!" He yelled, shooting another one. Axel nodded, turning away. Then he paused. Rafael laughed. "What straight couple buys lube from a seven-eleven?"

Axel tilted his head in agreement, thinking about it.

"Right..." Was all he said.

"_Axel!_" Roxas called, trying to throw off someone who was working to pull him out the car from the top. Axel's heart dropped, and he turned to Rafael.

"Cover me." He said. Rafael nodded, and aimed his gun at the zombie fighting Roxas. He fired, and landed another head shot. Blood spurted out onto the window of the car, along with chunks of brain, as the man fell back to the ground.

The redhead rushed over, throwing open the driver door, slamming it shut, and locking the doors. Roxas sat down rolling close the sunroof behind him.

Axel watched anxious as Rafael continued to shoot down the undead people running his way. He couldn't just leave him like this.

"Axel, come on, let's go." Roxas whimpered. The redhead sighed, pulling the keys out his pocket, and starting the car.

He looked in his rear-view mirror, and saw nine other people running towards the seven-eleven, all with disfigurements.

Once he got into the street, he exhaled, and took on a look of determination.

"Roxas."

"Wha..."

"I'll drive, you stand up and yell out the sunroof. We're gonna help Rafael out." He said, putting the car in 'drive'. The blond spluttered.

"Wha- I'm not doing that, it's dangerous!" He exclaimed. The redhead rolled his eyes.

"Fine. You drive, I'll bate." He said simply, already opening the sunroof, and standing up. The blond shifted to sit in the drivers seat, to get out the way of the others legs. He groaned.

"Axel, wait-!"

Too late.

"Hey zombie bitches, _wanna a piece of my meat!_"

The zombies all stopped and stared at the redhead. None of them moved.

He swallowed thickly, glancing around at all the horrid faces staring back at him. There had to be at least thirty of them.

Perhaps this wasn't such a good plan after all.

"Roxas." He whispered low enough for Roxas to hear. Rafael had stopped shooting, looking at the redhead like he was crazy.

"_What_ you idiot." The blond growled

"I think it's time to drive." He said.

Roxas looked into the rear-view mirror, and nearly shit his pant.

There were dozens.

All focused on his _boyfriend._

Yeah, he sure knew how to pick em'.

"Drive!" The redhead shouted, setting both the Zombies, and Roxas in motion.

The blond slammed his foot on the gas, taking off, with a herd of zombies behind them. Gunshots could be heard behind them, letting them know they hadn't gotten all the zombies.

But most of them was good enough.

Axel continued shouting.

"Hey! Come on little meat-suckers, I know you want it!" He yelled, brushing hair out his face as the wind whipped it ever which way. "I guess it's true what they say about zombies, they try to get your brains, cause they don't have any themselves!"

He could swear they were running faster after that.

One particular one was a power-house, moving ahead of all the others, gaining on them. Roxas noticed this.

"Should I drive faster!" He shouted over all the moaning and groaning and grunting of the group behind them. Axel shook his head.

"No, no, this is good!" He yelled, and turned around to face the road ahead of them."Make a left!"

Roxas kept driving, and did as instructed, steering the wheel in the given direction. The zombies followed.

High on adrenaline, he panted, and glanced in the rear-view mirror. He screeched.

"_Look out!_"

Axel turned around too late, and was knocked backwards by the fast zombie.

"Shit!" He yelled, and began fighting with it. He was pretty strong as well. It kept trying to bite him, and even though Axel was pretty sure he was gay (and quite kinky if he said so himself), he wasn't into that necrophilia business, no.

"Swerve the car, Rox!"He yelled, throwing off yet another attempt at a bite. Roxas yelled back.

"What!" He asked. He couldn't hear the other over the wind.

"_Swerve the car!_"

He got it that time, and did as instructed, turning the steering wheel this way, and that. The zombie held onto the car successfully, grunting with each swerve.

It didn't work.

Axel struggled, thinking harder. He threw the zombie's arms off him again.

"Hand me the wheel-lock!" He shouted. Roxas shook his head.

"The _what_!"

"The thingy, that I put on the wheel to lock it, the wheel-lock, give it to me!" He yelled.

"I can't hear you!" The blond said, concentrating on the road.

The redhead cursed, and ducked down, vein-y, more than likely _bloody_, hands following him.

The blond screamed, swerving the car, trying to move away from the hands as they groped at him. The undead man crawled further up the car, trying to pull him out.

"_Axel!_" The blond yelled. Said person was busy checking under the seats for something. He batted the arms away once more. "Axel, dammit-"

"Got it!" The redhead exclaimed, and pushed the undead hands out the car with as much force as he could muster. The zombie screeched this time, opening it's mouth to attack again.

Axel didn't let it get very far, before ramming the wheel-lock straight through it's head, with a stomach curdling welch sound. It fell back motionless, onto the street, and was soon ran over by the other zombies in the pack, who were still running with as much speed as before.

"Shit, don't they get tired!" Roxas exclaimed, noticing the same thing the other was. "It's like they don't even need to _breathe_!"

Axel glanced down at the blond horrified. "They don't."

They kept driving, getting closer to the exit to the highway. Axel looked down at the blond, grabbing the others attention.

"I think we're far enough away now. Let's ditch em' Rox!" He shouted.

"'Kay!" was the only response, as the blond slammed down with all his might, going nearly sixty miles-per-hour. Axel stayed standing up, hair billowing in the wind, watching as the huddle of zombies grew farther, and farther away.

He sat back down against the seat, rolling the sunroof closed again, and turned on the heater.

The blond glanced at the other as he drove, panting as well. His long (darker than usual) red hair was a spiky mess, there was blood all over his face and clothes, and all he did was give a goofy smile.

"Hungry?"

* * *

XD

I love Axel. Anyways, tell me what you think. I'll be posting again tomorrow! :D


	4. Chapter 4

"Hungry?"

Roxas laughed at the other, and nodded.

"Kay. We'll pullover somewhere, and just eat there I guess."

They stayed driving for sometime, before Axel sat up, pointing to the side of the road.

"There. Pullover, there." He said excited. He was hungry.

Roxas nodded, and did as instructed, turning the wheel to his right, into the small alcove.

It was a dead end road, that only extended a good fifteen yards, before stopping in front of over grown trees. They could only see the road if they turned around.

The blond put the car in park, and sat back in his seat. He didn't have a liscence, nor did he know all the things required to drive, and this whole drive he'd been nervous he'd crash, and kill him and his boyfriend before the zombies got a chance to. He started pondering what he would taste like to a Zombie. Did Zombies have taste buds? Do they prefer white meat or dark meat? Do they prefer chinese food? Do they have preferences? Do they eat the genitalia?

Important questions...

Meanwhile, the redhead was turned around, bringing up the bags of food in the back seats. He sighed happily, as he placed it on the dashboard. The first thing he removed from it's contents was a burrito, munching on the side.

The flaxen haired teen watched him with a small smile on his own face. He had come to the conclusion, that no, zombies were not republicans.

Axel held out the burrito to his face, in offering, paying no heed to the thoughtful expression of his lover. He smiled sweetly, and took a bite where the other had already bitten, then began to search through the bags as well.

He extracted his donuts, happily munching away at them.

He felt a prick on his elbow, and looked down to see the other pinching him. The redhead had his head tilted back, mouth wide open in expectation, his eyes closed. He smiled goofily, and placed a donut in the hungry boys waiting mouth, being sure to graze the others lips as he did so.

The ginger-haired teen shivered, and traced his tongue along the small digits. He was bursting on the inside as he took in the blonds smile. He licked up any excess crumbs from the younger's fingers, and kissed the palms gently. The owner of the hands beamed, blushing, and only removed his hand to grab the drinks.

He rummaged through the bag, searching for something. Then he frowned.

Axel noticed this.

"Whats wrong?" He said, sitting up in his seat a bit.

"Where's the milk?" He asked, pouting the slightest. Axel's face contorted into a mix of shock, disbelief, and pure frustration.

He could have slammed his own head against the dash board. However, he only sighed, an apologetic look crossing his features now.

Roxas smiled, rubbing the others pale arms.

"It's okay, at least you got..." His hand paused on something. "Is this lube?"

The redhead pointedly looked away, suddenly very famished.

The blond on the other hand rolled his eyes, and continued eating. He didn't bother explaining all the things that were wrong with that.

So it was, that they continued to eat in comfortable silence. Before the redhead let out a long, exaggerated, and loud sigh.

Roxas couldn't help but grin at the others obviousness.

He took the bait.

"Yes?" He deadpanned.

"Wanna play concentration?" He suggested. The other boy shrugged.

"Subject?" The smaller asked.

"Colors."

The blond smirked. "Oh, your going down."

"Oh, yeah? Blue."

"Red."

"Green."

"Pink."

"Orange."

"Silver."

"Teal."

"Purple."

"P- Cyan"

Roxas chuckled.

"I should totally deduct points for that." He said.

"Yeah, well, we never made a point system to begin with."

"Well then, let me get my pen."

The redhead took on a look of horror.

They continued to go back and forth, laughing as the other would make up a color, or someone would repeat one unknowingly. They went through 'movies', 'superheroes', 'lube brands' (guess who won...), 'cars', 'shows', 'celebrities', and were soon very bored with the game all together.

Roxas was sipping on Axels mountain dew, when the other boy suddenly suggested yet another game.

"Let's play 'radio'!" He exclaimed. The blond scrunched his face in a minute grimace, but went along with it.

"How do you play?"

"Just turn the radio on to 'ninety-nine, point five' or something, and the first person to name the song gets a point."

"That sounds like fun. To bad we don't have a radio." The blond said grumpily. The redhead took on a look of horror once more.

"Your joking."

"Nope. My mom doesn't think it's necessary for us to indulge our self in 'tasteless crap'."

"Well how are we suppose to know whats going on? Didn't she think we might wanna _know_ where the dead people _arn't_?"

"I don't think my Mom considered a Zombie apocalypse when she brought the car, Axel."

"_Yeah_, well she _should've_." He said, defiantly. When the flaxen-haired teen didn't respond, he tapped his fingers against the door, huffing."Do you know what time it is?"

The blond shook his head, 'Zinger' in hand. He swallowed a bite of the yellow pastry before he replied.

"I don't think this car has the right time either. Do you have your phone?"

"I think you might have put it in one of the bags." The redhead replied, unbuckling his seat belt. The blond sighed, clicking a single button to unlock the trunk.

"Be careful, 'kay?" He said. The other nodded, sending a tender glance, before getting out the car, and closing the door behind him.

The blond shivered at the cold air that drifted in, and bundled beneath the covers tighter.

He looked around the car at the mess him and Axel had made. The lays chips remained half eaten, on the dashboard, his muffin long gone. They still had a lot of donuts, cookies, and soda left. Most everything else had been eaten at least half way.

He smiled, popping another cookie in his mouth, as he took a swig from the pepsi. He kinda liked just being on the road with Axel, eating junkfood, and spending time with the other. Axel was always so funny, among other things.

Zombies or not, it was an enjoyable experience. Well kinda. Without the nearly dieing part.

The passenger door suddenly opened, as the redhead returned. The blond smiled.

"Did you get-"

The redhead shushed him, locking the doors, and turning off the car.

"Get down, and stay quiet." He whispered, doing so himself. The blond, not one to question the others seriousness, nodded, and did as he was told. His foot knocked the chips to the ground in his hasten, and he refrained from cursing. Hurriedly, he got down in the space between the chair and the pedals. He fit comfortably due to his small frame, however the redhead had to squeeze himself in.

The fair-haired boy stayed silent, listening closely to any sign of what Axel was worried about. The redhead had yet to say anything, and so he himself stayed quiet as well, looking out the window above Roxas head.

A look of shock ran across his lovers face, and he seemed to stop breathing all together. Roxas couldn't see himself what had shocked him without moving, and that would cause noise.

He tightened his arms around himself, head on his arms. With the heaters off, it was quickly becoming cold once more.

He cocked his head to the side slightly, listening for any moving out side. His ears registered heavy footsteps outside his door, and he tensed, as they passed by him, around the other side of the car. Axel had closed his eyes by now, trying to focus on staying silent.

Roxas thought, at this angle, he should be able to see who ever it was in the side view mirrors, and he strained his eyes to see what it was, despite the nighttime darkness.

He stifled a whimper, and had to bite his arm to stay quiet.

It didn't look like any of the zombies he'd seen all night. He couldn't make out anything in the sideview mirror, but he could tell it was larger than the car, and could easily break it, if it's size was anything to go by.

They both heard it's footsteps retreating, and Roxas let out the breath he'd been holding in, as he brought his legs closer to his chest.

The movement caused his sneakers to step on one of the fallen chips, with a noisy crunch.

Blue eyes bugged impossibly wide. He whimpered.

In a rush, the monstrous thing was now at Axel's window, facing inside the car, in seemingly no time at all.

Roxas heart was racing quickly, and he had to stop himself from breathing too hard, lest the creature react.

He could clearly see the creature now.

It definitely wasn't a zombie. It's face was marred horribly, and if it had eyes, he couldn't see them. It was a hideous gray thing, and he could see the fog of it's breath against the doors window. It definitely wasn't dead then.

Whatever it was turned it's head towards Roxas, and the blonds breath halted, the last puff of visible air floating up to the roof of the car, as he stopped breathing as well.

He took after his boyfriend, and closed his eyes, sweating heavily. He heard the monster breathing softly against the car, and he closed his eyes tighter.

Tense seconds passed over them, and the monster had yet to go, still anxiously focused on the car. Roxas was certain that it couldn't see them, but if he made one wrong fidget, just one wrong move...

His grip on his elbows tightened impulsively. His lungs were beginning to burn from holding his breath for so long, and he didn't know if he could hold it in much longer.

_bang_

_bang_

_bang_

Faint gunshots went off in the distance, and Roxas heard the monster grunt lowly, before heavy thuds signified it's departure.

This time, Roxas didn't move at all, or sigh in relief, and they both stayed silent for the time being. They sat, trying to mull over what happened, partially unsure weather it was even safe to make noise yet.

The redhead was pulled from his stupor first, and he crawled out from under his seat, dusting himself off of crumbs.

"I think we should start driving again." He murmured, seemingly far away. The flaxen haired teens only response was a nod, and he crawled into the passenger seat to let the other drive. He instinctively wrapped the blanket around himself once more, bundling beneath it's fabric.

He waited for the other to start the car up, and turned the heater on. Relaxing, as the void of silence was suddenly filled by the cars engine coming to life.

The redhead had yet to move, stock still, as he stared at the wheel. The blond could see he was still shaken up. On impulse, he grabbed the large hand on the steering wheel, rubbing them, and offered a small shaky smile.

"Let's start driving." He said, just as softly. That seemed to pull the ginger-haired boy from his thoughts, and he nodded. He remotely put the car in reverse, backing out of the space into the road, where he began driving once more.

Within minutes, they were on the highway again, and the car was starting to heat up as well.

They both sat in silence, looking at some part of the road or another. Both teens only minutely acknowledged the empty road as signs passed by over head. The blond didn't say anything, and allowed the other to stay in his thoughts. They both needed some time re-collect themselves.

They always heard about zombies in movies, and though it came as a shock, both teenagers knew they could survive a zombie apocalypse. However, seeing the gray monstrosity put things in perspective, and they both had trouble fathoming entirely what they were up against. In other words...

Shit just got real.

They passed by numerous exits, and trees, before Roxas began to notice it was getting light out. Axel did as well.

"My phone is in my pocket, check what time it is." He said, eyes on the road before him. The smaller nodded, digging through the redheads pocket, and pulling out the sleek device. It read '7:30', on the small screen. He brought the phone in the older teens line of sight, and pulled it away shortly. Long, red hair bobbed as the other nodded.

"Alright, we should be at my apartment soon." He murmured, more to himself.

The blond nodded, and kept looking out the window, at the suddenly familiar surroundings.

He recognized the old diner that Axel would take him to when ever the blond could visit. It didn't look like anyone was there though.

They continued to pass by convenience stores, and liquor stores, and other small shops, untill Axel glanced at the other.

There was still a small tension in the air as the older boy spoke.

"You never did tell me what happened back at your house. Yknow...what got you so freaked." He said, treading thin ice. The blond visibly tensed, but relaxed in the end, keeping his eyes out the window at the passing cars.

"I woke up before you. I heard the trashcan at the corner fall over, and some glass break. Someone was coughing, and I decided to go look. I thought someone might be hurt." He said voice lowering. His eyes glazed over, as he continued to speak.

"There was a lady on the other side of the street." He said. The redhead turned his head at that, eying the others blank expression.

"She...didn't look too bad. I don't really know, she was far away. She looked a bit pale though. She just stared at me. She couldn't seem to stand still. Then she started raising her hand to her face, and her mouth was open wide. I got a bit freaked out. I couldn't tell what she was holding though. Not untill last minute." He choked his last words out, looking down at his own pale hands, folded in his lap

"It was a kitten, Axel..." He said, and tears drifted down the creamy cheeks like dew. " I tried to stop her, but this car rushed pass, and then I didn't see her anywhere."

The redhead didn't respond for some time, trying to vision things from Roxas eyes. He supposed that would be scary for the blond. In any case, leaving town turned out to be the best decision in the long run, and he wouldn't question the blond anymore about it.

He glanced at the other, who was silently crying, and tried to change the subject.

"Where do you think everyone went" He asked offhandedly. The blond shrugged, briefly wiping at his own eyes. He sniffed, smiling softly.

"Probably, running for their lives like we are." He suggested, casually. The redhead smiled at him, grateful the other cheered up some. His eye-lids lowered as pink lips curled back tenderly, smiling abashed at the others suddenly _roguish_ grin. With one pale-green wink, blue eyes averted, leaving the blond to grin madly.

In his peripheral, he slowly turned in the direction. He felt his face blanch, and his eyes blinked.

"Ax..." seemed to be the only articulate response he could form. The redhead followed his gaze, and removed his foot off the pedal immediately.

"Fuck."

The apartment building was littered with Zombies, all around the front, groaning and moaning towards the entrance. Axel smartly put the car in reverse, opting to take a back street. He drove around the block, finally pulling behind the apartment, hidden from the mass of zombies sight.

The blond sighed.

"Well that's great." He muttered bitterly.

"I need to get in there."

The golden-haired teen nearly broke his neck as he snapped in to the other.

"_What! _Why?"

"I think someones inside, now just be quiet."

"Axel, hold on-"

"Roxas, my friends live here too, okay, I just wanna make sure their safe."

"They arn't here, Axel, none of their cars are out front!"

"Maybe, but look. You see how they are all littered out there? I think someone might have ran inside. Or at least someone is stuck inside."

"But-"

"Just stay in here, keep the doors locked, and stay on the floor of the car, okay?" He said as he turned off the car. "And no matter what, stay as quiet as you can"

"Axel, please-"

Roxas couldn't get another word out before the other got out the car. He let out a murmur, before crying, and getting down on the floor of the car, not knowing what else to do.

"_Idiot!_" He shrieked, covering his head, sniffing.

Out side, Axel skillfully climbed over the brick wall surrounding the apartment, going into a tight space that smelled of old food, and trash.

He hated to leave the blond alone, but he couldn't get this nagging feeling off his mind. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if someone died because he didn't try to help.

He looked up at the two story building, and formulated a plan.

He knew the layout of the apartment fairly well, so if he used the back entrance, he should be one flight of stairs away from his complex. He opened the old door, careful not to draw the attention of the mob out front.

Once he slipped inside, he stilled. It was eerily quiet.

Slowly, he walked to the other side of the hall where the stairs lay, feet making no noise against the molded green carpet. He paused.

He could hear crunching noises.

There was an opening in the wall before you got to the other side of the hall. The opening was where the lobby was. Inside, he could hear the sickening welsh noises, and crunches, accompanied by the occasional moan. Judging by the smell of rotting flesh, he assumed his zombie bitches had gotten thanksgiving feast early.

With his schooling, he knew what flesh smelled like.

He waited until he thought the zombies backs were turned, to tip toe quickly across the corridor, pausing once more to make sure he went unnoticed.

At no sign of reaction, he sighed softly, and continued to the end of the hall, where the door to the stairs lay. He yanked open the door, rushing up the flight of stairs. He paused before the entrance to his level.

The axe.

There was usually a case with an axe in it, in case someone got stuck in the apartment, or otherwise. There was glass on the floor below the broken case, and the case was empty. The axe was gone.

He got a sinking feeling in his stomach, and he opened the door to the top level, walking down the hall slowly.

He paused in front of the door at the end of the hallway. This was Demyx apartment. He knocked. Nothing.

"Demyx?" He called. The sandy-haired boy was an early riser, and a morning person at that. If he didn't hear Axel, then he probably wasn't there.

Maybe he left.

He cleared his throat, and continued down the hall when he heard a whimper from the apartment next to Demyx'. He halted his steps, tilting his head in the direction he heard it.

He stayed silent, hoping to catch the noise again. There it was again.

"Hello? Is anyone in here?" He called. All he got was that same whimpering, and his stomach began to feel queasy. What if it was a kid?

He knocked on the door again, and waited a while longer, before hearing that same whimper. He was getting worried, and finally, he decided if they didn't want to be found they wouldn't be crying.

With a forceful blow, he slammed his body against the door. It didn't open. He tried a few more times, and it was just as locked as it had been when he arrived.

He cursed. Thinking quick, he backed away from the hinges, and sighed.

He was sure he had tools in his room.

"Just wait here okay?" He called. He got no response again, and turned to run to his room anyway.

He dug through his pockets, searching for his key, and once he found it, he stuck it in the door, to open it.

It was just as messy as when he left it.

There were old pizza boxes on the floor, scattered next to soda cans, and the occasional alcoholic beverage. He offhandedly grabbed a stray knife on his counter, keeping it in his hand, as he closed the door behind him.

He hurried to his room, throwing the door open. He coughed as the stench of dirty laundry hit his nostrils. Gross.

Passing by numerous pictures of him and Roxas on his wall, and mirror, he threw open the door to his closet. Large hands dug through mounds of clothes to find bags to use to gather what he needed. He was only able to find one shoddy book bag, but it would have to do.

He threw in his own clothes , some deodorant, and his medical kit from school. He had a feeling he'd need it.

Once he grabbed everything he needed, he hurried out his room, into his hallway closet, searching for his mini-tool kit now. He hadn't forgotten about the person in the apartment next to Demyx.

Tool-kit in pocket, he grabbed his bat as well, and ran out his apartment.

He had knocked on every door in the building, hoping to find someone, but it seemed everyone was gone.

Except for his friends neighbor of course.

"I'm back, just sit tight okay?"

Once again, he got no response, and he retrieved the small case of screws, and devices from his jeans. Getting down on one knee, and taking out his tools, he began to work on opening the door.

He could work fairly fast, but he dropped the scalpel at the sudden rise in noise outside. The mobs screams and moans seemed to be growing louder.

He stood up quickly, stomach flipping horribly, as he strode over to the window beside him.

The zombies were moving behind the apartment.

That wasn't good.

"Roxas..." He whispered, heart suddenly thudding. He didn't have time to rigg the lock.

He dropped the tool kit in his rush, and picked up the bat steadily.

"Sorry!" He called, smashing the door handle. It broke with a clashing of metal, and Axel opened the door, sprinting inside.

The layout wasn't much different from his own apartment. He didn't see anyone.

"Where are you?" He called once more. Still nothing.

The bedroom was as good a guess as any.

"Hello?" He said, opening the door. He sighed. He didn't have time for this. "I need to go, I have someone waiting outside, please." He pleaded, exasperated.

He heard the whimpering again, but now he noticed it had sort of a whistling sound to it. He paused, head snapping down.

They were under the bed.

He quickly got down on all fours, and layed his head against the carpet hoping to get a glimpse of them.

"Hey, I won't hurt you, okay? The apartment is surrounded with...dead people, and my friend is outside waiting for me. Come on, I can keep you safe, come out." He said softly, and firmly as well. His response was commotion, and the rustling of the bed skirt.

Then, inch by inch, Axel watched as this 'person' worked their way out from underneath the bed, presenting him with large dark brown eyes, and a big wet nose.

"Right..." he deadpanned. Well, at least he saved someone.

Even if it wasn't exactly a human.

_Crash_

That sounded like glass. His heart sped up again, and he looked back at the dog, who was silently awaiting direction.

That's right. This was Ms Brown's dog. He was suppose to be really smart, she was always doting on him.

Well now was as good a time as any to find out, huh?

"Follow me, okay? Don't run off." He commanded. The dog seemed to understand, and nudged the redheads legs to hurry up and move.

He ran out the apartment, and down the stairs, the kanine quickly behind him. Wielding his bat once more as he got to the landing before the door, he turned to the dog.

"When I say 'go' run to the end of the hall way, I'll meet you there." He ordered softly. The dog made a noise, and Axel considered it as good as agreement, and he opened the door to the bottom level.

He could see three zombies, wandering the hall aimlessly, in front of the lobby. They had their backs turned to him.

He inched forward, dog just as silent as him, and stayed against the wall. One of them must have heard him however, and it turned around opening it's mouth to yell.

It failt to however, as the redhead hit it in the head as hard as he could, knocking it to the ground. With another hard smack, blood squirted up, letting the teenager know it was dead.

He was abrubtly thrown off balance, suddenly, and was soon falling to the floor. He struggled, face to face with one of the other two zombies. This one was a female.

Err..._was_.

"Go!" He yelled. The dog ran to the other end of the hall as instructed, with a soft bark.

He threw the undead person off him, standing up quickly, and raised his bat to strike. It screamed at him.

"Your one ugly fucker." He commented, seconds before he slammed down. He smiled at the satisfying crunch of brain and skull, before turning to the other.

One more.

The last one was chasing after the dog, and he cursed, holding his bat, to his side. He stayed against the wall in the lobby, next to the hallway, in such a way the dog, and the loony couldn't see him.

The last zombie didn't seem to notice his disappearance, and he took that opportunity to get the dogs attention. He whistled.

It worked.

The dog sprinted his way, the zombie behind him, and as soon as the zombie turned the corner, he slammed it in the face, possibly breaking any remnants of skull that was left.

It fell back to the floor with a sickening thud, and Axel slammed down a few more times just to be sure.

When he finally relented, he wiped the sweat from his forehead panting.

Roxas.

Green eyes looked to the dog who was panting as well, tongue out his mouth, ready to take direction.

He liked this dog.

"Hey. I need you do something for me kay?" He said. The dog stopped panting, and sat down, looking at the redhead obediently. He smiled. "Atta boy."

He told his plan to the dog, and once he was done, the dog barked, tail wagging, and it ran outside.

God, he hoped this worked.

He opened the door to the space near the back entrance, crouching down on the ground. The moaning was even louder now that he was outside.

He covered his nose, trying to ignore the stench as he listened for what he'd been waiting for.

It was a few seconds before he heard it.

_Bark!_

_Bark!_

Good. The dog had listened to him._  
_

He could still hear the noise As the Zombies tried to find ways to get over the brick wall, probably smelling the old food.

The dog was still barking, and he had yet to hear the zombies deter from their actions.

The dog was listening, but the zombies weren't.

Axel heard his new friend whimper, frustrated. He felt a swell of dread, and empathy throb in his chest as he thought about his boyfriend waiting for him. He should never have left him.

It contined to bark, to no avail. The dogs alerts were drowned out by the screaming and moaning of the mob before him. Axel was starting to consider if he should just wing it.

He'd do anything if it meant keeping his favorite blond alive and safe.

_Maybe this won't work_, came a small voice in the back of his head.

Then suddenly...

_Aooooooo!_

He heard the commotion stop, and the dog howled again.

_Aooooo!_

The howling continued, and the moans started up again, starting to move in a different reaction.

He couldn't believe it! It worked!

He let out a breath of relief, and then smirked happily.

Brown was one unlucky bitch, that dog was his now.

He listened to the distant barking grow farther and farther away, along with the moaning of the zombies.

It was completely silent now.

Deeming it safe, he climbed over the wall once more, with some difficulty, and landed in the alley, unharmed.

He rushed down the back alley, to the car, heart pounding in his ears.

He walked around to the drivers side, nearly slamming the door open in his haste.

Roxas.

He nearly cried in relief spotting the bundle of blond hair, laying silently against the ground.

The Golden locks rose to present him with the red face of his boyfriend, streaked in tears.

"Axel?" came the pathetic whimper. Oh, he really was an idiot. The redhead could have stabbed himself for causing such a face.

He quickly grabbed hold of the flaxen haired boy, wiping away the salty streams, and squeezed the boy to his chest tightly.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry." He said, nearly in tears himself. He always got rather motherly when he saw the other cry, especially when he was the cause. "I'll never leave you again, I promise."

The smaller boy nodded against his chest, and pulled away shortly.

"Who was that?" the blond asked, wiping his eyes. The redhead face took on one of concern.

"He was a dog I found in the apartment next to Demyx. I got him to bait the zombies away from the car, so I could get to you." He explained. Blue-eyes bugged in disbelief.

"_What!_ You told him to bait a heard of flesh eating _zombies_, are you _kidding_ me!"

The redhead spluttered.

"W-well not without a plan of course, I wouldn't just send him out there without a way to get him back!" He explained. The blond glared at him, buckling up his seat belt.

"You better have a plan Axel Lae Hakamura, or you are not going to be able to put that lube you brought to good use." came the stern reply. He turned on the car, cursing his own stupidity to hell and back.

He sighed."Alright, I told him to come back to third street, so-"

_Bark!_

He paused, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Roxas looked to him expression mirroring his.

"I thought you said..." the blond trailed off, listening closely.

_Bark!_

He heard it again in the distance. A chorus of moans, could be heard, with the occasional loony-scream, and Roxas felt his stomach drop.

_Bark!_

"..._You know_. Now that I think about it, I never _did_ tell him to ditch the zombies before he ran back to us..." The redhead murmured. The blond glared at him angrily, before ripping open his door.

"Come here boy!" He yelled. They both started yelling and whistling erratically trying to get the dog in the car. Roxas exhaled in relief as he saw the dog run around the corner, tongue flopping happily.

...And then nearly chocked on his own tongue as the herd of undead people followed behind him, non-too-slowly.

The lovers started yelling even louder, trying to get the dog to run faster.

"_Come here boy!_"

"_Come on! Come on!_"

They yelled, trying to coo, while screaming their heads off.

The dog was booking, feet only touching the ground for mere seconds before bounding into another leap.

The zombies weren't far behind.

"_Behind you!_" Roxas screeched, as one zombie made to leap for the dog. The dog leaped to the left last minute, dodging the zombie successfully, and finally reaching the car.

He jumped into Roxas lap, panting heavily, and the blond slammed the door shut, just as the loonies began to slam against the car.

"Axel!" He yelled. That was all he needed to say, before the other slammed on the gas, pulling off, down the road.

The redhead sped towards the street, narrowly missing a sign as he sped down the road, and out the infected town.

He bit his lip, going as fast as he could.

"Do you still see em' Rox?" He called over the roaring engine. The blond glanced into the side view mirror, at the road behind them.

No one.

"No. I think we can slow down" He said.

He took the blonds word, and continued to drive, now at a normal pace.

He looked to his right at the other, making sure he was okay.

The blond was squirting water into the smart dogs mouth, who barked happily at the refreshment afterwards. The flaxen haired boy smiled, petting his head, and cooing softly. He still had a tinge of pink around his eyes and nose, and Axel's heart ached at his own carelessness.

He was definitely going to make it up to the blond. Some how.

The object of his thoughts looked up from petting the dog, sniffling softly, and smiled despite himself.

"So whats his name?"

* * *

Okey dokey, took me awhile, but I got it, I got it. It's just I've got other stories on hold, cause I 'm a swinger, and can't take commitment, so yknow.

I would never just abandon this, but forgive me if I can't update now and then. I know you are all use to it by other authors, but it doesn't make me any less guilty.

Any way. Thank you for reading! :D


	5. Chapter 5

"So whats her name?"

Axel chuckled, eyes on the road.

"It's a dude. And If I remember correctly, his name is, 'Robert'."

The younger cast a deadpan look towards his boyfriend. Axel grinned sheepishly at the raised blond brows.

"She named him after her ex husband. " He elaborated. The flaxen haired teen tilted his head, rubbing the dogs large ears, as it rested it's head on his lap.

"That's not creepy at all..." The smaller said sagely, glancing out the window.

Axel didn't respond, and continued driving, as he made catalog of all the more than likely no-go places.

Industrial areas; _no_.

"So where are we gonna go now?" Roxas asked. The taller teen sighed in thought, looking at all the exits they passed.

Where would they go? Any cities have a hospital, and any hospital was probably littered with zombies about now. There weren't really any suburban areas nearby, save for Crenshaw.

Axel gave an honest answer.

"I don't know." he said softly. The blond frowned sadly, looking down in thought.

"Where do you think everyone else went then?" He asked, looking at the other driving. The older shrugged.

"Everyone had to work today, so they're probably on the other side of town." Axel said tiredly, as he pulled the car to a stop.

They were in the middle of the highway, far above the ground, looking down on trees and small stores. They had driven about nine miles by now. The blond bit his thumb in concentration.

"That'll take awhile to drive to." He murmured, shifting in his seat. The redhead nodded, grabbing what was left of the soda.

"Not only that, but by now, we don't even know where they'd be through all this." He replied, sipping from the bottle. Roxas sighed.

"We need a radio. Theres got to be somewhere with weapons, and food, and..." He paused, sneering at his wrinkly, and smelly pants. "..._Clothes_."

"A radio _would_ be really fackin handy right now." The redhead said, taking another swig. The blond shook his head, glancing at the sleeping dog in the back seat. He smiled fondly. "And a phone. That'd be nice."

The lighter haired teen snapped his head to the other warningly.

"What's wrong with your phone?" He asked, tone suspicious. Before the older could reply, he reached into the others pocket, and took out the... non-too-discernible metal bits of the others phone.

Axel grimaced guiltily.

"I kinda... fell on it, when I climbed over the wall to get back to you, at the apartment."

The smaller only glared, rolling down the window, and tossing the broken pieces out. He sighed.

"Well you know this place better than I do, Ax. Isn't there somewhere with a radio and phone, or something?" He said. Axel glanced into the others eyes in thought, recalling this area.

"Theres this old diner one of your ex girlfriends use to work at, about a fourth of a mile from here." He said offhandedly. A blond eyebrow rose a degree higher in the passenger seat.

"And how exactly would you know that, Axel?" He said, more than asked. The taller coughed, shifting in his seat.

"Egh... google." He said, turning on the car. The blond just rolled his eyes, buckling up, and grabbed the donut box.

"Right."

As they drove, Roxas noticed the dots threading through the trees below. Part of him somehow knew, all of those people down their weren't dead. He felt like he was watching a massacre.

Closing his eyes tightly, he looked away with a solemn expression, rousing his boyfriends interest.

"What's wrong?"He asked, stealing a quick glance, before facing towards the road again. The blond shook his head slowly, looking ahead at the road.

"Nothing, just keep driving."He murmured thoughtfully.

Within a half an hour the couple had pulled up to an old looking diner, the paint partly streaked with decay. A big neon sign, with the lights shut off in the cold winter glow, reflecting off of newly formed snow.

There were blood splatters littered around the parking lot, and only two cars. Roxas could see the faint outline of a gas station through the softly falling snow.

The redhead was the first to move, shutting the car off.

"Let's go." He murmured, opening the car door. The flaxen haired teen didn't move, still staring at the diner warily. He jumped as his door was suddenly opened, showing Axel's concerned face.

"Rox?" he said questioningly. The smaller nodded.

"Yeah." was all he said, unbuckling, and stepping out with him, Robert following behind him.

They walked over bits of debris, and hurried inside the diner, shaking slightly from the cold. The non human of the three looked around, wagging his tail at all the chairs. He hopped onto the chair of a nearby booth, and settled down.

Roxas noticed the phone mounted on the wall beside a table towards the door, and tried pressing a few numbers. Nothing.

"The phones dead." He said aloud. The taller sighed from behind the metal, retro style counter.

"So is the radio." He replied. The smaller shook his head.

"Well what now?" Roxas asked.

Axel bit his lip in thought, before walking briskly over to the window, looking out the blinds. He could make out the outline of someones car, a drive thru sign, and directly behind, was a fuse box. Great.

"Theres a fuse box around the back. I'll go turn it on, you look around for something useful." He said. The blond nodded from his place beside the phone, and watched as the other teen ran outside, and around the side of the diner.

"Guess it's just you and me, huh?..." He murmured. The dog made a soft whimper noise in affirmation.

Roxas smiled chuckling, and looked around. His eyes landed on the counter, and he hopped over. There were boxes, filled with all sorts of papers and trinkets. Shuffling through the shelves, and cabinets, the blond found nothing but old newspapers, and candy wrappers.

He sucked his teeth, and tried the drawer. With no success.

Sighing through his nose, he hopped back over the counter. There had to be a key.

He walked slowly towards the bathrooms, and mentally cheered at the 'staff only' door towards the back of the hall. It was the kitchen.

It was strange smelling, and dark. He could faintly make out the hanging pans above the counter tops, swishing left and right, silently. He walked forward slowly, glancing in all directions cautiously.

There had to be something in here he could use.

He kept walking and nearly slipped on a suddenly slippery floor. Well.

_Clank!_

He jumped, ears straining in the silence. That sound was no where near, for him to have made it.

Grabbing the closest thing to him, which happened to be a shotgun **(AN:** **jk jk, it's just a pan)**. He kept his arms raised ready to strike just in case. His steps were slow, as to not make any noise.

He heard soft, and slow footsteps across the room, and he tensed, pan ready.

Abruptly, the lights turned on, revealing the blood and flesh littered along the floor. Blue eyes widened, and nearly bugged as he heard a groan.

Oh boy...

Only then did he look up, only feet away from a non-too-living person, judging by the missing left side of his head, and barely connected jaw.

The zombie screamed.

And The blond wasted no time.

He yelped, and hopped over the counter rushing towards the door. Only to stop for a mili-second at the metal tools mounted on the wall.

Keys!

He grabbed them in a rush, and slammed the door behind him just before the Zombie could grab hold of him. He threw his small frame against the door in panic, shaking as the non-living creature slammed against the door behind him.

He was too small for this.

His body, and the door weren't gonna be able to hold out for much longer. He sighed.

He did the first thing he could think of.

"Robby! Come here boy!" He said in a loud whisper.

Seconds later the panting of his doggy companion came running towards him. His furry friend retreated a few steps at the sight of the shaking door. Goodness, Roxas hoped this dog was as smart as Axel claimed.

"Could uh...you bring me a chair? Or something to keep this door closed?" He murmured, not quite sure what to say to the dog, to make him move. "Please?"

The dog seemed to consider him for a bit before running out the restaurant, off to the side of the building.

Well.

"Great." He panted sarcastically. Well that didn't work.

Maybe the zombie would lose interest in eating him, and fall asleep?

The zombie gave a particularly hard slam, making the door come ajar large enough to fit a bloody hand through. This wasn't working.

"Fuck all!" Roxas cursed exasperated. He groaned, exerting even more force, made harder as the hand kept moving. He vaguely noticed that their nails were missing, as he could clearly see the somewhat prune-like skin beneath the nail bed, revealing meat beneath.

_Gross_...

Through his grimace, he could hear the chime as the door opened once more.

'_Please be Axel'_

When he heard the tapping of more than two feet he thought he'd scream in anger. He snapped his head to glare, only to pause in his fury, eying the long wooden plank in the dogs mouth.

Hm...

"I love you." Roxas gasped, and took the plank appreciatively. He slammed the wood against the exposed hand, hearing a screech of pain as the hand retracted. In a rush, he stuck it underneath the doorknob, maneuvering it around. Once he was sure it was secure, he let out a breath of relief.

When his heart had calmed down, he walked back out to the front of the diner, to the counter unlocking the drawer. Four batteries, three quarters, a key, and a flash light.

**Roxas obtained; four batteries. **

**Roxas obtained; 'Fuse box' Key.**

**Roxas obtained; roll of quarters.**

**Roxas obtained; flash light.**

Well... that explained what was taking Axel so long...

He closed the drawer, eyes suddenly snapping back up to the phone by the door.

That's right. The power was back on.

He half-ran to the phone, after hopping over the counter. He took two of the three quarters he found in the drawer to make the call, and dialed the first number that came to mind.

The boy groaned, listening intently as the phone gave the dial tone five times. He started bouncing his leg, before bursting with relief at a click.

"Sora! Where are you? Are you safe? W-"

" _We're sorry, the recipient you are trying to call is currently unavailable. Please dial the number, and try again." _

"Shit!" he nearly sobbed, slamming his head against the wall above the phone. He closed his eyes frustrated. Sora was the only real family he had. If something happened to him...

"Roxas!"

He snapped his head up to the distant voice of his lover. It sounded like he was hurt. He ran over to the door, looking around the parking lot, apprehensively.

No one.

Pressing his face to the glass to look closer, he squinted his eyes, blinking , to make sure none of the bodies on the ground across the street belonged to his boyfriend.

Just as he was about to open the door, the object of his thoughts was abruptly slammed against the glass of the door.

He yelped, falling back, as he took in the look of horror in the others eyes.

And then the same eyes squinted, just as the sharp white teeth below them started grinning smugly.

"Hi." the taller said. Roxas could choke him!

"Asshole!" the blond yelled, getting up quickly.

The red-head opened the door to the diner, nose, and cheeks flushed from the cold, made even more charming with his grin.

"That smile contradicts that sentence _drastically_." He said sagely. Roxas wanted to be angry, but couldn't bring himself to stop smiling like an idiot. It was Axel. He couldn't help it.

"Idiot. Don't scare me like that..." Was all he mumbled, before being embraced like some cat. The taller pulled away shortly, and rubbed his arms for some warmth.

"'S Fucking freezing out there." He said. The blond shrugged. "You find anything helpful?"

"Roll of quarters, a flash light, a few batteries, and the key to that fuse box." He said amused, gouging the others reaction at the last one. The redhead paused in his rubbing, frowning, before shaking his head disappointedly.

Green eyes glanced down at the sniffing currently going up and down his leg, before the redhead smiled, petting the dog. Robert was probably hungry.

"We have anymore food?" He asked. The flaxen haired teen shrugged.

" Not a lot. Just a couple of donuts and soda, that's all." The blond murmured, having took stock as they drove. "Theres also the hotpockets, but you kinda need heat for that." He added, walking back in front of the counter.

The redhead looked around thoughtful.

"There a microwave in here?" He asked.

"Well there's one in the kitchen-" Roxas paused and stammered, as the redhead moved past him to get to the back room. In a jerky motion, he blocked his way, smiling shyly. "_But_ I don't think you want to go in there."

A red eyebrow rose inquisitively at the younger boy, waiting for elaboration, before rising to his hairline as there was another slam against the kitchen door.

Hrmm...

"I see..." He said, understanding the situation. The smaller boy nodded.

"Yeah."

The redhead sighed.

"Go get the toolkit from the trunk"

* * *

Do I fail? Yes I do. Life's a bitch what can I say. You don't have to, but I'd _like _you to review. Cause...just cause. :3


	6. Chapter 6

I'm just gonna get on with this. Review. Please.

* * *

Roxas rose an eyebrow, but did as he was told, walking out to the front of the diner, and outside.

The moment he opened the door, he stepped out onto the cement path around the diner, and he immediately shivered at the cold blast of air that met him.

The snow had built up a few inches, and the white substance (**AN:** hehe) had covered the whole of the windows in a thin layer of ice.

The blond rubbed his arms for a bit of warmth (much good that did), and hurried on to the car. Once the door was ajar, he quickly noticed it was messier then when they had first left Crenshaw. There were chip crumbs all over the floor, little stray pieces of lettuce on Axels seat, and powder adorned the wheel from when Roxas had been driving.

Another blast of cold air hit the blond, yanking him from his mini-musings, and he easily remembered why he was out there. He crawled in the car, and closing the door behind him. A puff of frustrated air escaped him, as he searched under the seats, with no luck.

It was probably in the trunk then.

He made a move to open the door, but was quickly caught of guard when the rev of tires roared through the entire area loudly.

In less than he could be afraid, a car whizzed by, filled with laughing men, and one lady bouncing around topless, her large chest on display for all to see, with a cud-covered tongue stuck out her mouth. The truck was an obnoxious yellow, with flames decorating the sides. Dust adorned the wheels, and sides gave way to the cars age, and Roxas found himself ducking down in his seat on instinct.

He noticed there was something struggling in the back of the truck, large and lumpy, and it made the blonds heart sink a little. He squinted his large eyes in concentration, but before the blond could discern anything, they had already passed by, and out the small road attraction.

He closed his eyes, calming down. It took a minute for his breathing to go back to normal, before he sighed once more, and opened the door cautiously, looking around.

In his wake, there was disgusting stench in the air, and he found he was drawing his arm up to his nose automatically to block it.

He opened the trunk quickly, close to freezing, and got the requested tool kit, and head back in quickly.

Inside, he found his lover sitting on the floor underneath the telephone, absently petting their furry companion on the head.

The blond sniffed away the on comings of a cold, and put the toolkit on the floor next to the other.

"Uh... here's the tool kit, Ax... " He murmured.

Standing, he waited for instruction for a full five seconds before he sighed, and plopped down next to the redhead, and began petting the dog with the other. Looking up at the others thoughtful expression, he poked the older boys nose, smiling.

"Ax~" He murmured, drawing out the 'A'. The redhead snapped out his reverie, and looked to the blond expectantly.

Roxas giggled softly at the reaction, and scooted closer, to lay on the others hard shoulder.

"You spaced out there for a second, what were you thinking about?" He asked. The taller shrugged, and wrapped an arm around the smaller boy absently.

"Yeah, sorry. I was thinking maybe we should spend the night here..." He said petting the dogs head in his lap. The other shrugged.

"I guess...but we're gonna have to deal with that..." He tilted his head in the direction of the kitchen door, bangs still as loud and hard. "...before we sleep."

The redhead nodded absently, extracting his hand from the others waist, standing up, stretching. He opened the tool kit, eyes glazed over in unidentifiable emotions.

The blond watched him rummage through the metal box before green eyes squinted at the tool he removed from it.

This would do.

"What are you gonna do with that?" The smaller of the two asked. The older didn't grace him with a reply, and continued to walk towards the kitchen.

In his left hand, his fingers clenched around a long pipe wrench, swaying as he walked, and Roxas noticed the strange sway in the taller teens walk as well.

He watched as the redhead in one swift movement kicked the plank out the way, and jumped a little at the clank. By now, Roberts head had perked up, just as confused as he was, watching the scene in front of them.

Out tumbled the Zombie, stumbling, but not falling completely over. No longer than it took for the dead man to raise his head, was there already a pipe wrench being slammed against it. The Zombie dropped to the ground in a bundle of limbs, moments before the tall teen began to slam down relentlessly into it's skull, making crunches with each thrust.

On the other side of the diner, still sitting on the floor, the blond blushed, and averted his eyes.

Blood continued to squelch up onto the torso and face of the redhead messily, as he continued to plummet into the already brutally marred face of the Zombie. His face was completely stoic, not showing any indication of anger, or disgust, or even regret. And...it was kinda turning him on.

When the taller teen had finally stopped the Blond was feeling feverish, shifting uncomfortably, as his breath came out in soft pants. Axel stood up straight popping his shoulders, and the flaxen haired boy watched intently as the muscles flexed beneath the older boys shirt, moving as the other raised his long arms atop his head, stretching.

Th turned around to the blond, more than a little out of it, before dropping the pipe wrench. And in those seconds of maximized decibels, reflecting of the walls from the noise of the pipe-wrench, it seemed the sound snapped the taller boy out of whatever stupor he'd been in. He barely bit back a yelp, as he jumped at the sound, blushing at his jerky reaction. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Clearing his throat, and just a little confused, he looked up to see what his human companion was doing at the front of the diner.

And Said companion was staring at him with his face contorted into a look of pain, and Robert... well Robert had moved a few feet away from the poor boy.

"Rox?" He asked, tentatively. The blond blushed harder, quickly standing.

"I-I'll be in the bathroom. You should g-go get the hot-pockets." He stammered lamely. The redhead stared at the other boy for a full two seconds before turning and doing as suggested.

He walked past the doggy companion, who had taken it upon himself to watch him from the inside once he got to the car.

It was getting late he noticed. The clouds had already gone away momentarily, but he knew that they'd come back later with even more snow. Through the trees, he could see the sun had already started setting, casting everything in an orange glow.

He sighed, mind going back to his beloved blondie. What was up with him? Axel wasn't sure what led up to that reaction, he totally blanked, but now he wish he knew what happened in the seemingly seconds between opening the tool box, and dropping the pipe wrench.

It was weird. He knew what he'd intended to do, and that it got done. He just could remember actually doing it.

He forcefully removed himself from his thoughts, trying to focus on right now. He had the love of his life to protect, he couldn't waste time pondering black outs...

...on second thought he'd give that more thought later. Right now he had to get food.

Opening the trunk, he grabbed all the bags, stuffed in all the hot-pockets left over, and made his way back inside.

Back in side, blushing crazily was the blond, trying not to think about what he'd actually gotten _turned on_ about.

"That did not just happen." He whispered to himself, splashing some cold water on his face.

Oh, but it did.

Roxas had no idea how, but seeing Axel ramming his pipe-wrench into that zombies bloody face, that serious expression, and the way the blood would splatter across the other teens face, in ways accented by his pale skin, while he put heavy amounts of force into each blow...

He shifted once more, eyes becoming half-lidded. He was seriously hard right now...

He looked to the stalls, that seemed to promise release, and privacy.

_Damnit! Axel is suppose to be the pervert not me! _

"Rox?"

The blond jumped in the air startled, heart hammering in his chest, and turned around to face the other.

"Uh... here's your clothes. I'm cooking our hot-pockets now." Axel said, offering a small smile, as he leaned against the door frame.

Oh, he was so hot right now Roxas thought... He still had blood all over his clothes, and hands, and he just wanted to kiss him silly!

Against the door, the redhead had Finally noticed the blonds awkward position against the sink, and slowly slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He gave the other a once over, brows furrowing.

"You okay?" He asked, concern in his tone. The other boy nodded, backing up a little.

Now Axel knew something was up. But the blond had still yet to say anything, so he wasn't gonna just leave yet.

He carried his long legs slowly across the bathroom floor, looking for any injuries, or even bites on the other. He stopped in front the shorter boy, staring into large blue eyes.

Roxas thought he'd faint. Axel's face had little splats on it, and something just seemed so arousing about that. His eyes were as bright as ever. It was giving him a few southern issues, and he was both extremely horrified and turned on.

"Roxas-" The redhead began, but was cut off by the soft lips of his lovers against his.

Well...

The taller boy moaned softly, giving in to the sudden turn of things. He easily pushed himself flush against the other teen, rubbing their groins together.

The blond sighed as the long arms wrapped around his torso, and his arms found their way in the others hair in turn. He deepened the kiss, pressing his lips more languidly against the other, nipping at the chapped flesh of the others mouth. He still wanted more. He pushed his tongue in the others mouth, rejoicing at the feel of the others own muscle tangling with his own, before the taller sucked on the pink appendage, at an arousing pace.

Roxas felt himself becoming undone once more, and he tilted his head back, face now flushed from the sheer heat of the situation. He sighed, smiling at the feeling as the other wasted no time, and sunk their teeth into his exposed neck. The taller boy was biting, and kissing, in between sucking, leaving Roxas to just moaned, letting his eyes close briefly.

Roxas had always loved Axels hands. They were long, and wide, and were so big compared to his own digits. He got turned just looking at them sometimes, and Axel knew that.

Said hands were caressing the small pale torso beneath his shirt, and it was only when the flaxen haired teen mewl did the other realize his unhygienic state.

"Shit!" the redhead snapped, jumping back. The blond eyes widened startled by his sudden outburst.

"What wrong?" He asked.

"I've still got blood all over me, fuck. I'm sorry" He said truly sad. He was pretty sure having sex while he was still covered in diseased blood could get atleast one of them infected.

"Well, you don't have to, I mean we can just make out..." The blond murmured. However, the other insisted he get cleaned first, removing his shirt.

_'Your killing me Axel!' _The blond thought, eying the others lean, and muscular figure. Oh, goodness, what would it look like if Axel had the splatters on his bare chest... mmh...and if he got some on his back, and bent Roxas over the bathroom counter, and started ramming into him merciles-

"I mean... I don't mind... cause... I mean it's just a little blood, right?You didn't get any down there or anything, right?" He stammered, trying to keep the lust out his eyes, and failing horribly as he glanced down, eyes roaming over the others chest.

It took a total of three seconds before the cogs in Axels mind began to loosen, and finally, something clicked.

_'Oh...'_

Roxas shifted, averting his eyes at the others surprised expression.

"...This turns you on doesn't it?" He asked, motioning towards the blood on his face and hands. The blonds blushed, eyes still on the ground.

Yes, the redhead thought that was kinda creepy on Roxas end, and yeah, he was still sure one of them could catch a disease if they had sex in their current state, but he couldn't bring himself to care when it turned the other on so much.

"Just a little..." was the smaller boys murmured response.

And once again, it took a total of about four seconds before the redhead was attached to the blonds neck once more, and the blond was throwing his head back in ecstasy.

"Axel... _fuck_...a-augh..._Axel_..."

The non-human companion on the other side of the door ears twitched in the direction of the bathroom, and he quickly got up to inspect the area.

He stopped in front the bathroom door, sniffing the frame, and floor before it, in confusion.

"Auugh... _God_... a..._auugh!_..." came the voice he was sure belonged to the shorted human.

Robert wasn't quite sure what his owners were doing, but he didn't smell any fear on either one of them , as a matter of fact, he could smell large amounts of pleasure and heat rolling off them in waves. He decided he'd leave them alone, and just moments after did the microwave in the kitchen ding.

He knew that noise.

Were his new masters making something?

Following his nose, four feet padded by the dead zombie, and into the kitchen softly, and lo and behold, was the microwave he'd been trained to open when he heard that noise. It looked just like the metal box his old owner had.

Excited at something to do for his masters, he balanced his front legs against the bottom cabinets, and strategically pressed a paw against the large square button to the corner of the box, and hopped back down on all fours before the door could swing out and hit him.

There! Now his owners would be happy!

"Axel! Axel! _Axel, God!_ Augh..."

"Fuck... Roxas."

Those noises were still confusing him though.

Robert listened to his new masters for a while longer before he stilled. That wasn't either one g his masters scent.

He tilted his head in the direction of the zombie, that was still on the floor, and unmoving. Well it wasn't him...

_bump_

While he was at the apartment, Robert noticed that there were new types of people who didn't smell the way normal people did. They smelled like they were dead, but they could still move.

This was one of those new types of people.

_Bump_

padding up to the front of the diner, where the lights were still all shut off, Robert watched patiently for any signs of people.

His tall owner had taken the time to close all the blinds, and turn off all the lights before he went into the bathroom. Anyone outside wouldn't be able to see in, but he could easily see out, due to his height.

There it was.

One of the dead people, mindlessly walking into the diner window, aimlessly slamming against the window.

He had to warn the others!

He quickly padded towards the back, whimpering softly, and pawing at the door, trying not to make noise, but also trying to get the others attention.

He heard a pause in the heavy breathing, and finally a shuffling of clothes and feet, before the door opened to the tall owners concerned face.

Roxas watched from afar against the wall, warm and satisfied, as Axel opened the door to their doggy friend.

"Whats wrong boy?" he heard Axel ask. The dog seemed to be restless, soft whimpering, and walking to the front then back. Getting the memo, Axel followed the Dog, and Roxas watched him leave, deciding he should probably put some clothes on.

He picked up Axels sweater from the ground, pulling it over himself, along with his lovers discarded boxers. Smiling at their familiar scent, he, now barefoot, padded out the bathroom quietly, into the front of the diner.

He immediately shrank back, as the little light from the sun illuminated the figure of another zombie, slamming themselves into the glass repeatedly.

Robert whimpered, urging his owners to do something.

Axel, shirtless, scratched his shoulder, a look of seriousness overtaking his features.

"How did they find us? No one was out there earlier, and we didn't make a lot of noise, right?" Roxas whispered harshly. Axel looked to him nodding, and back to the front, where the same shadow was banging against the glass.

Suddenly, he he frowned.

"Stay here, don't make a lot of noise, I'll be right back"

Roxas nodded watching the redhead walk away, and slumped against the counter quietly.

Axel stepped over the body he'd left in front the kitchen earlier, and went inside the room, and felt his suspicions confirmed.

"Fuck." He murmured, grabbing the hot-pockets and closing the microwave door quickly. He made sure to put them inside nearby paper towels, so as not to get any of his love juices onto the mini-pizza's.

Back outside now, he handed Roxas his pocket, and sat down next to him.

"What was it?" Roxas asked, blowing on the cheesy food, before nibbling on it.

"The hot-pockets must have brought him here."

"Zombies eat hot-pockets?" the other questioned, tilting his head. Axel grinned at the question, and kissed him on the cheek.

"The heat silly. It probably sensed the heat, or maybe even the strong smell, something, and came this way. I think it'd be more aggressive if it knew we were here." He said. The blond smiled, and nodded, leaning against the redhead for comfort.

They continued to eat, sharing bites with Robert every now and then, and simply watching the rouge zombie continue to slam it's body against the glass. After awhile they had started counting the thunks, and soon Roxas was growing sleepy.

He yawned.

"Sleepy?" The taller questioned. He nodded, and made to lay across the redheads lap. Instead the older stood up. "One sec." He went into the kitchen where he left the bags, and dug out a thin blanket, and a small couch pillow from his bag.

Roxas grinned sleepily, and blushed.

The redhead smiled back, unable to hold back his own blush, and laid down next to the other, tucking all both of them, Robert included, under the blanket.

In the almost silent restaurant, Roxas and Axel stared at each other through the translucent veil of the darkness

" What are we doing tomorrow?" Roxas whispered, cuddling up to the other. The taller boy wrapped an arm around him, and shrugged.

"We'll try to get on top of the roof, see if we can get a view of anything down the hill." He whispered back. The blond nodded slowly, already feeling the onslaught of sleep in his wake.

"Love you Axel..." He murmured, before finally closing his eyes, and resting. The older boy smiled, choosing rubbing Robert on the head, and pulling the human blond closer.

"Love you too..."

Y-y-y-yYEAH!

Review bitches, I love you! :D


	7. Chapter 7

**I just wanna say this was done over two months ago. I blame my beta... or lack there of :(**

**Joke joke...**

**I do though. -_-**

* * *

Roxas stretched waking up, and shivered to notice the lack of heat, that belonged to his lover. But immediately realized the remaining one behind him.

Blonde brows furrowed as he tilted his head behind him to see what being was currently breathing against the back of his neck. He sighed. Robert was cuddled up against his back, paw over his hip, sleeping silently, with his head on the floor of the diners roof.

That was weird.

Slowly removing the large paw from his hip, he rolled over, and stood up.

"You see anything?" Roxas asked beside the now fully awake redhead.

The moment they woke up, they ate left over pieces of meat and fruit in the Diner, dumped the currently dead Zombie that was banging against the diner doors outside, and climbed on top of the roof.

Bringing them to their current disappointment.

"Not a damn thing" Axel murmured. The blond sighed in reply, moving closer to the other.

"I don't understand, how does someone _not_ consider a Zombie Apocalypse!" Roxas said with a small grin.

"That's what I'm saying." The other agreed laughing. He frowned as his vision seemed to flicker for a full two second, of nothing but red, before returning to normal. He cleared his throat nervous.

That wasn't good, and he wasn't sure what it was, but he needed to get some help, and quick. Any sudden onslaught of symptoms during a Zombie Apocalypse was a _big_ no-no.

He started to pack up the blanket into the bag he'd brought up for Roxas.

"We may need to go back into the city babe." He said. The other boy turned to give him a distressed expression, silently asking why they couldn't just stay put.

"I've been getting these headaches."

"You think you need an Aspirin?" He asked slowly. The redhead shrugged.

"Maybe. But we need to find more people. Let's head out."

* * *

_Beep_

Click.

_Beep._

Click

"Still nothing on the Radio?" the redhead asked from his position in the drivers seat.

"Pretty much. This shit is archaic, and the stupid beeping is giving me a fucking head ache!" The blond nearly yelled in anger, smacking the antenna-radio against the dashboard in rage. The redhead sighed.

" Breathe, my love."

The blond pouted, but did as told, setting the radio down for now.

"So how are we gonna do this?" The blond asked looking out the window into the mass of trees. Axel shrugged, eyes on the road. Sighing, the flaxen haired boy in the passenger seat resided himself to leaning his head on the others shoulder softly.

"Just drive." The other answered. The blonde cuddled closer to the taller boy, not quite happy with that plan of action, but to tired to think of one himself. He spoke up in a slight coo.

"Robert, you okay dude?" Roxas said. Upon the lack of even a soft whimper, or sniff, he took a glance in the rear-view mirror, and his stomach dropped.

"Robert!" He shouted.

Said doggy continued to bite down intently on the Radio Antenna's, leaving small traces of saliva every now and then.

"Damnit Robert!" Roxas shouted once more. Axel lazily dragged his eyes from the road to the Dog on the seat now, radio antenna's in jaw. He just sighed, and kept driving.

"It was broken anyways Rox." Axel reasoned. But the blond only glared.

"We don't know that, it could've just had a bad signal back there!"

"Rox, we're in a moving car, I doubt-"

Static cut off both boys thoughts, and they resigned themselves to waiting to see if anything would come through the signal.. After a few long seconds, they both sighed.

Axel leaned back in his seat, making a turn on to a road with tall trees on either side.

"I told you-"

The crackling of voices grabbed their attention for a second time, and the blond quickly grabbed and pressed his ear against the front of the device intently. The voice that came through was a deep female voice, whispering harshly.

_' Need... west... low...mall...'_

"...Low... mall- Hallow mall!" The redhead shouted in realization, as he slowed down the car.

"Shh!" The other boy shushed, pressing his ear even closer, but aside from those words, he couldn't make anything out. "Axel, I can't hear anything turn the car off."

Nodding, the driver stopped the car in the middle of the road, trees on either side, and turned of the car, leaning towards the small crackling device, revealing more of the whispering on the other end.

_'Help please... I'm west of hollow Mall. Can anyone hear me? West of Hallow mall... My car...It flipped over, and I can't move. They haven't noticed me, but they can smell blood, it'll only be a matter of time before they smell mine. I have weapons, please.'_

The message repeated from the beginning once more, and both blond and Redhead shared a shocked look.

"Do you think she's still there?" The smaller asked. Axel sighed, nodding.

"It's only been about two days, judging by the signal leghth. And if she really can't move, I don't see how she'd be anywhere else. The bigger question is even if she is there, do we save her."

"What!"

"Rox, you heard her yourself, they smell blood. This was a recorded message, and it had to have been on for some time if it's signal has reached this far. West of 'Hollow Mall', meaning she's also in an area with a lot of people, do the math."

"But.." The blond spluttered helplessly, nearly in tears. He couldn't believe Axel was saying this, he was suppose to be his hero. " We can't just leave her, she doesn't even have a chance! She's probably bleeding to death too!" He shouted. The redhead didn't make a move to start the car, jaw hardened, as he stared at the driving wheel intently. "_Axel_!" The blond yelled incredulous, demanding an answer, failing to hold back his tears. He could feel them rolling down his face, but he didn't care.

"If she's bleeding to death, that's more of a reason to leave her, she's dead weight!" He yelled exasperated, turning in his seat.

Roxas didn't know what to say, shocked, and just scoffed.

"So you'll run into an apartment complex surrounded with Zombies on the off chance you might find one of your friends, but when it's a girl, who is injured, with no chance at saving herself, and we both _know_ she's there, you won't even try?" Roxas asked softly. The taller shook his head angrily, averting his eyes.

"That's different."

"Oh, is it? Why? Cause you know them, and they actually mean something to you?"

"Exactly!" He said tone slightly louder. "Cause they mean something to me, and I'd have gone even _farther _if it was _you_ I thought was in there!" He said sternly. The blond didn't say anything turning away.

"Roxas, right now, the world is fucked okay? We don't have the government, or the military to help us, and that's assuming this isn't their doing in the first place." he said humorlessly. "I love you, and I'd do anything for you, you _know_ that. But I'm not gonna do something that puts either of us in harms way."

"Axel, you've already done something that put me in harms way, and you found a way out of it didn't you? I know she's a complete stranger, but we have to try. And she said she has weapons, we can use those." He said softly. When the other still didn't speak, the blond glared, and began to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"What are you doing?" The older boy asked. Ignoring the question, the blond opened his door, and stepped out the car, closing it behind him.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled.

The blond continued to ignore him, walking away from the car, and not even sparing a glance back.

Angry, the redhead opened his car door, and slammed it, rushing after the blond.

"What the fuck do you think your doing Roxas!" He yelled.

"Well sense you won't save her, I will!" The shorter shouted back finally. The redhead scoffed.

"_Please_, you don't stand a chance Roxas, get back in the car!" He yelled back.

"Whatever, you can go and survive without me, leave me alone!" He growled, moving to hide behind a tree.

"Shit Rox..." The redhead had no idea where the blond was now, but he could hear him just seconds ago, so he had to be close. Sighing, he stepped out a few feet further, checking behind the tree. No blondie.

"Rox I'm sorry. Look why do you even care? Do you know her?" He asked suspiciously.

He hadn't considered that.

"No, I don't. But... that's exactly why I do care, cause I don't know her. You said it yourself, I don't stand a chance, so what if it was me, and you didn't know who I was? That would suck..." He trailed off. Axel smiled, inching near the tree he thought Roxas was behind.

"Well, I'd have still saved you, even if I didn't know you." He reasoned, looking around. The blond frowned.

"Please don't lie to me, Axel."

"No it's true. I mean... with a voice like yours... I'd have easily deducted you were a bombshell, and thus I'd have saved you." He said grinning.

The blond smiled brightly from behind the tree, not noticing the footsteps a few feet behind it.

"So can you please come out now?" The redhead asked hesitantly.

"How do I know your not just pretending to care now?" The shorter prodded.

"Cause your the only ass I've gotten in three years, and that won't change, babe." He said seriously, worried the blond really wouldn't come out.

Oddly touched, Roxas came out from behind the tree with his nose, lips and eyes tinted alluring peaches and pinks, from crying and the cold. The redhead could never seem to keep his heart from stopping when ever he saw the other sad.

Shifting under his lovers intent gaze, a new flush appeared on his round cheeks, and the flaxen haired teen spoke.

"Axel..." He said, averting his eyes from the half-lidded green ones.

"I love everything about you. Your beautiful." Was the soft murmur that led to soft kissing moments later.

Full pink lips pressed against the tallers' firmly, and softly, exhaling as the other hugged his arms around his body.

He was a whole head shorter then Axel, but he wasn't short at all. In fact Roxas was a pretty tall 5'8 at seven-teen, but Axel and his 6'4... Axel was just freakishly tall like that. He felt like they fit together though, so he pressed himself even closer, savoring the blissful warmth that spread through his body from the long, and tender kiss they were sharing.

Oh, Zombie epidemic, plague, or Armageddon, he knew he was perfectly fine as long as he had Axel.

The redhead moaned softly, pulling away, with heavy lidded eyes, and a lazy grin.

"Uhm... we should lube that bleeding chick..." He said slowly. Roxas grinned softly, blushing, and gave him a questioning stare, waiting for the redhead to realize his mistake.

But he didn't, so Roxas didn't question it, as the other began walking towards the car.

"So where exactly around here did she say?" Roxas murmured, looking down from the cliff they were driving down. The road wound around a really tall hill, and those on the road had no railing to keep themselves put.

Roxas could easily see how an accident could happen.

The cliff was the last level before you hit level ground, and it was pretty far down even from there. He could see the roof top of the Mall, but he couldn't tell which way it was facing. Aside from that, there were small suburban houses, scattered at the immediate bottom.

" She didn't give an exact location, just that she was West from Hollow Mall. We're looking for a flipped car I imagine." He said, looking down occasionally at the mass of houses, and the slightly slow outlines wandering around the Area aimlessly.

"What do we do when we find her?" The blond asked.

"I was hoping you'd have thought of that, considering your the one who wants to save her." The redhead snapped. Looking down, as pale hands fiddled with each other.

"Sorry..." He murmured, looking back to the road as Axel looked away.

"God, Axel." Roxas gasped, covering his mouth worriedly. "Look"

The older teen immediately stopped the car, face going completely serious.

There was a bumper going half way down the cliff, pieces leading down to a flipped car.

It was surrounded with zombies, all slamming themselves onto the car, none actually bending down.

"Shit. They found her Ax!" Roxas cursed, looking down with the other. The redhead stared intently, shaking his head in thought.

This was strange... They were just standing there, slamming against the car. Was she still there? He couldn't see anyone struggling inside, nor could he hear someone calling for help. It had to be her, the car was over turned, and they wouldn't be there if they didn't smell blood.

He sighed.

"I don't think they know she's there."

"What? Why else would they be here?"

"They smell food. But I don't think they've actually spotted her yet. Remember the Zombie from last night?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"Remember how it got weaker with each hour, until finally it passed out, and we killed it?"

"Well yeah, but whats that got to do with us?"

"She's definitely in there. I think she knows they haven't necessarily realized she's there, which is why she's so quiet." He deduced thoughtfully.

"Maybe she can help us then? She seemed to know a bit about the Zombies, and she's obviously pretty strong if she can go so long being quiet whilst bleeding." Roxas pointed out, hoping to persuade the other teen even further.

But Axel was way ahead of him, starting the car.

She may have been dead weight, but someone like that wasn't completely useless, versus someone screaming and calling out for help. She sounded older than him too, and she was probably experienced if she had weapons on her. Another person to their group was always good, and even though she wasn't what he had in mind, he could use her help.

Plus, she probably knew the area better than he did.

He drove down to the edge of the cliff, and turned the car off, unbuckling his seat belt.

"Why did you turn the car off?"

"It'll make too much noise, and attract even more Zombies, we're gonna go by foot." He murmured, picking up a pipe he had brought with him from the Diner. "And uhm... Rox?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh... I meant _'save'_"

* * *

**Teehee. Eh... Review please? **


	8. Chapter 8

Roxas hastily followed behind Axel as they made their way down the cliff. It was well into the afternoon, and he knew they had to be quick with whatever they did.

He felt his stomach sink in guilt, and he slowed his pace noticeably.

He'd been the one to demand they rescue the woman in distress. And yet, he hadn't a clue how to save her.

"Hey, Roxas." Axel spoke up softly. The blond looked up at the back of the others head, making up for the small the distance gained between them. "Don't worry about this, okay?" The older assured just as soft. Roxas found himself blushing softly, and nodded, before realizing the other couldn't see his shy response.

"'Kay."

They continued their trek, and the closer they got to the bottom, the more nervous the shorter felt.

Behind them, pattering softly was Robert, looking to the others with heartwarming loyalty. The sight of their furry friend was enough to lift his spirits the slightest. Before he knew it, they had reached the level land, now concealed by the shadows of the tall trees surrounding the houses.

"Stay close." Axel said firmly, slowing his pace to a steady stride. Without a plan, he needed to keep an eye out for anything that could help anything. Roxas obeyed, following suit. They moved silently, staying against the line of trees on the opposite side of the street. Opposite from the houses closest to the cliff.

They both considered the situation, and while there were houses behind them, they acknowledged that if this woman was bleeding, by now, all the zombies would have been attracted to that smell. And with the screamers...

Well, _that'd_ have gotten any zombies that couldn't smell her.

That was the problem. When they were in their car up on top of the cliff, they could see the womans car was surrounded. Roxas knew Axel was strong, and the blond could possibly distract of few of them while the redhead struck from behind. However, these were strong zombies, and fast too, and with so many of them...

Blue eyes snapped up as the distant moaning of zombies got louder.

If Roxas was right, they weren't that far from the crash site. He held steady, moving to walk beside his lover, instead of behind him. He could hear distant screams and wails, and they sent shivers up his spine the louder they got.

He'd do this. Somehow, someway. For Axel. He'd save this woman, and get them to safety.

But how?

"Alright, we're around the area the crash is. I can't pin point exactly which row she's in, but I recognize this layout." Axel said. He paused in thought, pipe underneath his arm.

"Maybe Robert can sniff her out?" Roxas suggested. The other nodded, looking to the canine. Said mammal was wagging his tail expectantly.

"Uh... Rob. You smell anyone else?" He asked hesitantly. Robert was smart on his own, but he had to say the right words to get the dog to understand. Said dog turned his head sideways in question. The Redhead sighed.

"Hey boy, where is she?" Roxas asked softly. Axel was better at this. But the dog got the message.

**Robert Vision**

Robert could see the look of distress on his owners (Axel and Roxas) faces, and he recognized it as expectation as well.

Robert was conflicted.

He knew they obviously wanted to find something, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to lead them there if it meant they would be put in danger. Why do they want to go near the bad people?

He didn't understand.

He supposed there were other times they asked him things he didn't understand. Axel had made Robert do something very risky at the apartment, and Robert had survived that time. Robert wasn't dumb, and he knew they could have drove off without him. He knew what betrayal was.

The human took care of him, and fed him now that his old master was gone as well. They didn't have to.

With a soft whimper, he looked to his tallest owner, and made up his mind.

He trusted him.

They continued to stare at their furrier companion, and with a soft sniff, he finally moved ahead of them.

Maybe he'd find out what they needed, and could get it without them being hurt.

The moans from the bad people were loud, and the stench was even more noticeable to him.

He pattered down the road, following his nose, passing numerous stray cars, and bodies, and finally stopped before anything could see them.

Axel and Roxas were just behind him, panting softly.

He could only hope they knew what to do.

**Normal POV**

They had no idea what to do.

Robert had done his part, and led them right around the corner to where the zombies surrounded the car.

There were a lot.

For now Axel supposed he could buy some time, and just get them closer. He had memorized the way the houses connected, and the way the yards interlaced with each other, enough to know how to cut through them unnoticed. Without warning, he picked up his lover first.

"Axel!" The blonde whispered harshly. "Now is not the time!"

"Were gonna cut through the yards, get closer, and from there we'll figure it out." He explained. The blonde glared, and began to lift himself up, with the help of the redhead. Axel recognized this random moodiness. Roxas was moody all the time, but this unnecessary snapping.

Roxas was nervous.

The blond gasped as he fell on the other side of the fence. Robert followed, with the elders help, and soon behind was Axel.

This pattern continued, through three houses, before he felt they were close enough. The moment his feet landed on the other side of the fence, he knew something was off. Just didn't know what exactly.

"Stay here."

Were his simple words, leaving no room for protest. He walked around the house, ducking lower the closer he got to the front of the yard.

From where he was now, they might not see him immediately, but if he moved to quick, or stepped on something loud enough, he might not be so lucky.

But still. There it was.

The car was even worse up close. Not only had it flipped over, but the roof was practically caved in, and the driver door closest to him was completely torn off, busted, just like all the windows as well.

He seriously hoped she was still there. Otherwise they'd have came all this way for nothing.

"Do you see her?" came a voice to his direct right.

He nearly jumped out of his skin, and whipped around to the blushing face of his boyfriend. The blond blinked guiltily looking away.

Axel narrowed his eyes scolding. _'I told you to stay back there!'_ was the silent admonition. A deep-blue glare fired _'I'm not leaving you!', _and that was the end of that. The older took a moment to sigh through his nose, and lazily dragged his eyes back to the totaled vehicle.

Come to think of it, where _was_ she?

The redhead pointedly shrugged at the other, leading the blond to kneel down and look through the spaces of the fence with him.

They simply stared for a while, trying to imagine where someone could hide in such a small space. Especially a grown adult. Axel was sure some of the challenge was taken by the fact she was a woman, but even that didn't seem to be enough to somehow stay attached to the seats, especially not with an injury that rendered her unable to move. The seat belt perhaps? No, they'd still be able to see her head. But what if she ducked down? That can't be right either. If she was bleeding, it wouldn't make sense to strain herself for so long trying to duck her head, while hanging virtually upside down.

The trunk?

A crash like that had to have been loud, and would have attracted a good potion of zombies in the vicinity in less than a minute. She wouldn't have time to get out and crawl in the trunk. And then there was that injury...

The only place Axel could think of was...well that was ridiculous.

She can't be...

His thoughts suddenly stuttered, snapping his head back to the car.

But Roxas caught it first. The younger allowed himself a billow of air, astonished at the sight.

"The seat..." the blonde spoke, so soft Axel would have thought he was mistaken, but snapping his eyes to the only seat they could see, the drivers seat, he too let out a gust of air.

_'Well shit.'_ was his only mental thought.

There, squished what had to be painfully, was a head and two arms.

Axel had already noticed the windows of the car had busted, hindering the ability to hide considerably. This left the only place to truly hide on the bottom of the car, now upturned. The issue was holding on to the bottom. If you were in the back of the car, you could possibly lay comfortably, with the slightest adjustments depending on how tall you were. But if you were in the front, not only do you have to get under, but you have to make room for your torso, arms, and legs, in order to stay concealed under the small seat. He could see a thin woman possibly fitting her body, arms and one leg, pulled tightly against her body, but the other leg...

Then suddenly the entirety of what he was seeing cut through him like a jagged knife, and he felt his stomach drop into his feet.

_'Holy fuck'._

Holy fuck, indeed.

He stared at the odd angle her head was slanted, to allow room for a single bare foot to slide through, and he could only imagine the horrid way her leg had to have broken in order to be able to force it in the barely existent place between her back, and the floor of the car. He vaguely made out the top of a head, but aside from her foot, and fingers, he couldn't make anything else out.

Roxas pulled back from the unsettling sight ready to faint. He now had a renewed determination to save her, and slowly stood up to walk away. The redhead followed head lowered in concentration.

He nearly screamed as his lover was tackled to the ground. There must have been someone inside!

Robert snarled, launching himself at the undead person, but Axel was quicker, grabbing the dog before it could bite the dead hack. Robert was a smart dog, and a loyal one too. He didn't know what he'd do if his new friend bit this zombie, and turned loony as well.

"Axel..." Roxas grunted from underneath the dead guy trying to bite him. It was really weak this time around, but Roxas still had trouble maneuvering him, without bringing it's mouth near him. Lifting his pipe, the redhead watched silently for the shortest time, and nodded to himself.

" Close your mouth, and eyes Rox." He said lowly. The blonde obeyed, moments before feeling blood sprinkle his face lightly. Eew.

"Alright stay still, and don't open them yet." The redhead said, and stood up, walking off. The flaxen haired teen took this time to throw the zombie off him, and moments later he returned.

Roxas could hear the sound of rustling clothes, and the jingle of keys being dropped. There was a brief pause in movement before he felt wet cloth on his face, wiping away the traces of blood he still felt on his skin.

He grunted in discomfort, and waited till the other was done.

"Kay, you can move now." The taller spoke from directly above him. When pale lashes finally did lift, they widened even more considerably, at the soft glance he was being given.

Axel really couldn't help it. He could feel his heart rate quickening, and took that as the incentive to give the blonde what he'd wanted ever sense their little lapse at the diner.

A soft, chaste kiss, and Roxas was back on his feet, blushing, and slightly dizzy. The redhead laughed to himself. Roxas was allowed a full five seconds to soak in the warmth of his love's smile before images of the woman's contorted body flashed across his mind.

"The Lady-" He started.

"I Know. We're gonna go inside, and see what we can do from there okay?" He assured. But the blond was distressed.

"No... She's gotta be in so much pain right now, we don't have time!" The smaller stressed, raising his voice.

"Shh...come on."

The shorter lover calmed down enough to follow the other into the house. It was eerily quite save for the screaming outside, and the flaxen haired teen was already suspicious.

It was a comfortable home. A small, quaint, middle-class home, with polka dot wall paper, and pictures of random cats, framed in hand painted wood. It had that old people smell, of generic soap and oatmeal. To say the house occupants were fond of the color pink, was an understatement. It was everywhere, infecting even the microwave and toaster.

Axel made a mental note to break something before he left. Anything.

"What are we gonna do? How can we save her?" His lover suddenly rushed out in a mess of stutters.

The redhead sighed, looking out the windows, and plopping on floral printed chair tiredly, and laying his pipe on a near by end-table.

"Wait it out." He said simply. The blond choked on his own spit, then attempted to calm himself down, lest he bring all the zombies their way.

"What do you mean?" He questioned.

"We're gonna wait it out. Back at the diner, that zombie we left outside banging against the glass... it took about two hours before it was to weak for much of a fight. It's been around two days. So I'm guessing most of them are hungry, just standing there, but enough of them could still be healthy. Well if a zombie could be healthy-"

"Axel, this isn't a time for jokes, we need to get her out of there! She might not have that long!" the other said harshly. The taller sighed.

" What do you want me to do Rox? We can't just go out and rush them. Even if they _were _weak, they could over power us by their numbers alone. Then we have to carry her back here, and that's more time, not to mention she's bleeding." He closed his eyes tiredly. "If you think of something tell me, until then that's all I can think of."

Roxas visibly deflated, plopping on one of the chairs himself. He was so useless. He couldn't do anything himself, and now when he needed to act the most, he was still useless.

"I gotta use the bathroom." Axel said, standing up, and leaving the room in search for the bathroom.

The blond briefly registered Robert was no longer in the room, and made to go look for him, leaving the redhead to...whatever he was doing.

Meanwhile, the oldest lover stalked around the hallways, looking at frames in earnest sorrow, and checking each room for something useful. Like a toilet.

Lo' and behold, at the very end of the hallway was a bathroom, and he unzipped his pants with vigor, staring at the porcelain instrument as though it were a deity. In some respects, he felt it was.

For there was no other Religious practice that everyone, everywhere, universally partook in. It was harder for some than others, but everyone still did it. Some had better shrines, but still.

This was a nice shrine, he noted. It was pink, but it did it's job. Had a nice auto-flush function too.

Neat.

He smiled down at Axel-Junior, and relieved himself (of urinal needs, nothing else kind sir), taking a moment to stare appreciatively at his reflection in the antique mirror, nestled above the toilet.

You may have noticed he was quite the cocky fella. Despite popular belief, all that arrogance stemmed from his confidence in his humor, and charming personality. Not his looks.

He saw himself as... different, and maybe on a good day, one would be inclined to say he was interesting to look at. Though not some type of Adonis, no.

He knew he wasn't ugly, nor was he in any way insecure, nor did he feel inferior to anyone who was otherwise... but Roxas was better. Plain and simple.

Which was why Roxas was more than a God-send to him, if there even was some asshole in the sky laughing at him that is.

Roxas was... he couldn't describe how perfect he thought the blond was. Tall lean, and okay a little pale, but it was winter, who was to blame? Oh yeah, that jackass laughing, hmm.

That was beside the point though. Roxas was the first person he'd ever had the nerve to approach romantically. As his luck would have it, there were issues with that as well, but he'd have it no other way.

Yeah, it hurt seeing his first love stalk off to appease other people. It stabbed him right where it hurt each time. But he'd stick with it if it meant having the blond at all.

Roxas was just too easy to fall in love with, he thought. He was loud, and moody, and easy to piss off. Remarkably violent, and constantly cynical. He hated most things, and said as much when ever he could.

Axel was so lucky...

It was no wonder two other people loved the blond. He smiled sadly, tucking in Axel-Junior, and zipping up his pants. He glanced back at his unappealing, two dimensional twin, but other things in the reflection quickly caught his attention, and he stilled abruptly.

In the shower behind him. A lonely figure stood, obscured through the translucent fabric of the curtains. He seriously doubted a living person would find pink-tiles that interesting.

He moved to open the door quietly, hoping to leave as he had come in. Unnoticed. He made it into the hallway, and sighed in relief.

Then the toilet flushed.

His blood ran cold.

_'Fuck...'_

Fuck, Indeed.

A shrill scream ripped through the hallway, bouncing off the walls from the bathroom, and an adrenaline rush hit him like never before.

Blood pumping a mile a minute, his feet moved of their own accord, aiding him into the living room where he dashed onto the floor to retrieve his pipe, footsteps just behind him, and without a second lost, he was on his feet aiming to kill.

It was comical, the way the (naked he realized) zombie slipped, and fell into his pipe, with the perfect precision to jam it right through his brain. That was quick.

Not quick enough though.

"Axel, they're coming towards the house!" came his lovers distressed voice, as he rushed down the stairs.

The blond was panting in exertion, ready to excrete chunks of their last meal in the very place he stood.

Outside, there was in fact numerous zombies, attention drawn from the smell of warm blood, to the shrill scream of another zombie.

Roxas ran to the side of the other teen, attempting to move behind him. Then he realized what he was doing, and stopped, suddenly feeling the weight of everything crushing down on him.

_'God, why am I so fucking useless!' _echoed his thoughts, over and over, until he felt hot tears flood his eyes, and could no longer hold back the rush of despair he'd been feeling the moment they set foot onto level land.

So he cried, letting sobs rack his body, rending him immobile.

_'Good job, Roxas! A chance to prove you can do something other than get bent over furniture, and play with peoples hearts, and all you can do is bawl your eyes out, like some **fucking** **toddler**!_

He couldn't help it though. He was so angry with himself. He'd rushed into yet another situation where, inevitably, he'd have to hurt someone.

This time, it was the very person he loved most.

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

Blurry eyes rolled up angrily, as the zombies were all slamming themselves up against the house now, trying to break in. Axel was beside him, pipe in hand ready to attack the moment they got in, Robert growling beside him as well. A window shattered distantly, and another sob shook his body forcefully. He grabbed his hair in frustration. It was only a matter of time before they noticed them...

_'I should have just listened to Axel, this is all my fault! All I had to do was listen to him, and be quiet! But of course not! Why would I do that? I like making noise too much for that! We should have just stayed in the fucking car!-'_

Roxas felt himself stammer in his thoughts as a coil of hope spread in his stomach.

Noise. Car.

He grabbed his lover by the pants, and searched his pockets fervently, ignoring the startled reaction from the other. He finally frowned.

"Where are the keys?" He asked. Red eyebrows furrowed in bewilderment.

"I dropped them somewhere in the kitchen, why?" He asked.

The blond didn't answer, and dashed off to the kitchen. He dropped to the ground,desperately feeling around for the small necessities. It had to be here. There was no other way out, it was here.

"Roxas there getting more forceful! Get ready!" The redhead called from a few feet away, but it was drowned out by the screaming outside.

_'Come on! Come on!'_

He moved faster, eyes darting left and right, his cold hands moving in a frenzy across the pale pink tiles of the kitchen floor.

A glint caught his eye, and he followed it, feeling his last vestiges of hope break.

"No!" He nearly screamed, the noice instead coming out as cracked gasp.

The keys were by the dead zombies foot, but apparently it had been stepped on, breaking the black casing open, the circuity laying inches away on the floor.

_'This is not ending here! Axel and Robert, and Sora...'_

Blonde brows knit together in concentration, trying to string the cords back together just enough to get it to do it's job. Maybe it would still work. He grabbed the circuity. He winced hearing another glass break. Wait...

The light was blinking on the small remote! It still worked! Though it was obviously damaged. He tried pressing one of the soft, now unlabeled panels and nothing happened.

_'Those were probably the lock buttons.'_ he assured himself.

He pressed around some more, frantically.

"I need-"

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

_'The panic button!'_

Loud sirens blared through the entire neighborhood, enough to startle Axel, as he jumped turning to face the other.

Up on top of the hill, his mothers suddenly useful car belted it's tune through the whole area, grabbing the attentions of all the zombies.

_'Yes!' _

He waited patiently, looking at the blurry, disfigured out lines of the undead beings around the house. They hadn't been noticed, with the thick curtains covering the windows. He could see they were conflicted, between the house and the car. Then, as though this whole time a hand had been squeezing heart, and finally let go, he felt relief.

One by one they peeled away from the house, like unmotivated starfish, before they all walked down the street, screamers and moaners too, trying to get to the top of the hill.

Their noise grew softer and softer the farther away they got, and Roxas allowed himself a short sigh of happiness.

He stood up, nearly falling in his haste, and shared a look of renewed determination, understanding, and warmth with his boyfriend. One minute.

One minute. They both knew from experience, that was how long they had to get the woman, and get inside before the car alarms went off, and Roxas would need to press the button again.

Though, in it's current condition they may not have that grace.

In unison, their feet pulled them to the windows, and they surveyed the street.

They had all left. Now was their only chance.

"Ready?" Axel whispered.

"Would it matter?" He answered back. It was honest. He had no choice now. Though if he did, he'd still go.

"Right."

Then, without a further thought or delay, the door was unlocked, and thrown open, and both teenagers dashed out side, with hammering hearts, shaky hands, and nothing but the promise of another brain, and some much needed weaponry to carry their feet, both boys already calculating the next step after this one.

That was if she was alive of course...

* * *

**Oh, deary, I do believe I have really pushed the deadline this time. Ideally, I would like to update once every three to four days. But my job... is quite tiring. It's off season though, and sense it's gotten colder, I don't need to be up there everyday, for 8 hours, and driving home for 2 hours. (Yes, you read right. It's ridiculous. I really wish this was some made up excuse.)**

**It's funny, I wonder if I've ever met one of you guys at work to. It's not unlikely, I guess.**

**Anyways, I'm sorry, and to make it up, I tried to throw in three extra pages. I usually only type up seven. ^^;**

**Well, while I'd like you to review, I realize I need to work to earn it...again. T_T**

**Thanks for reading. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The air hit them like knives, despite the house being not much warmer. Another harsh gust of wind slammed into his face, contrasting starkly with his hot blood. Roxas could barely hear anything with the way the wind had suddenly picked up, but any spontaneous interest in global warming would have to wait.

The woman.

They were already outside, running to the car, both thinking furiously on how to extract her from her place, sirens blaring above them making the surge of panic even heavier.

"Lets see if she's alive first." Roxas said, just as they reached the car. The redhead shook his head, kneeling down to eye level with the woman's limbs. She really had jammed herself in there pretty bad.

"Don't have time." was the quick response, before the taller got to work on pulling out her arms. The blond didn't push further, and conceded to getting her out first.

The taller teen was right. They really didn't have the time.

He dropped to the ground, not allowing himself to cast a desperate glance to the weak zombies, still making their way up the cliff. There was no time to think, no time to doubt, no time to suddenly realize how crazy they were. They'd have to hurry though. Each second wasted, was a second they could be spotted, and they just couldn't chance anything other than getting this woman inside.

Both boys seemed to simultaneously decide that they'd need to move the broken leg last. They both pulled her arms out completely, the head following with slight tandem. In a hurdle of limbs her working leg fell out as well, coincidentally smacking right into the drivers wheel, hitting the horn dead on. The redhead hastily moved her leg from the wheel, heart feeling like it was being squeezed.

But it wouldn't turn off.

This sent the older teen into a frenzy of movement working to extract her torso quickly.

The younger lover, however, numbed his emotions, his thoughts, and all the things that could scare him, focusing solely on that task.

Thirty seconds... and time slowed down.

The car sirens seemed to fade out, the wind seemed to stop, and it was like the world paused in the middle of a second. The puff of air he'd released seemed to freeze before him as well.

Roxas wasn't thinking at thinking at this point. His body was. His limbs were moving a mile a minute, not giving his poor mind a moment to catch up. It seemed to know what to do though, so he stayed focused. An eternity passed, but before he knew it the woman was in his arms, however unconscious.

He felt his heart stop at the sight of her relaxed face though.

She looked just like his mother.

This realization seemed to crash through whatever spontaneous calm that had come over him, and time caught up. It had no choice. The earth was making up for the moments lost in those elongated seconds, and real time cut through his mind like a jagged arrow.

His senses buzzed, turned back on abruptly, letting everything back into his brain at once. The sirens belted it's way into his brain once more, like it had been waiting outside his eardrum, banging to get in this whole time. His face was numb with cold, his fingers shook, and his nose was burning from the frost of the air. It took him for a whirl, but before he had time to panic, his lover was speaking taking his mind from the burst of sensations.

"Ten seconds, lets go!" Axel shouted, one of the woman's arms already hoisted on his shoulder, a single rifle attached to his back as well.

_Boooop!_

_Boooop!_

_Boooop!_

Shit. That was the last cycle of sirens before it cut off, and the horn was still blaring on the flipped car. The zombies had made it to the top as well, walking to the initial singing vehicle. If any of their heads turned around now...

He stood up with Axel, ready to head back to the house.

Five seconds...

Their legs moved accordingly, rushing them back across the street, the woman on both their shoulders, bouncing heavily. She was no small woman. Thin, but not small. She was nearly as tall as Axel, and her blonde hair bobbed as they got closer to the house.

'Please be alive' thought both lovers simultaneously. The door was like salvation just out of reach, and for a second, Roxas felt like the lawn was stretching in front of him, just to make their goal harder.

They were almost there. Something was... off though. It seemed quieter.

Roxas stilled, and the taller boy noticed it too. _'_

_'The sirens!'_

The sirens had stopped.

But the horn didn't.

Both boys paused in their upheaval, and cautiously looked to the top of the cliff.

One by one, disfigured and deformed faces turned their way, and even they seemed to pause, staring at the couple and their survivor, as the flipped cars horn seemed to blare in laughter.

_'.Fuck...'_

All hell broke lose.

Both parties, above and below, moved at the same time, the zombies down the cliff, and the lovers in the house.

The sound of the door slamming behind them seemed to symbolize a warning. Every second counted. And it was getting darker.

The taller thought quickly, and grabbed one of the heavy floral chairs, and ramming it against the door. This left the blonde to slump under the weight of the woman, while the older boy moved the book shelves against the windows.

"Take her outside, and I want you to climb over the fences. Go two houses down, and stop there." He said rushing to the kitchen to inspect their appliances. Everything was old, and outdated. A bladed blender, an open fire stove that rested right underneath a three-setting microwave, and archaic wooden cabinets.

All pink of course.

He turned the stove on all the stove-eyes, just enough to get the gas going.

"Robert!" He called, turning the microwave on high. The dog came rushing obediently waiting for instructions. "Go with them."

There was a moment where the dog considered disobeying, but the stern look in those bright green eyes left no room for arguing. He ran outside without a second glance, hopping on a trashcan to get over the fence.

Robert had to trust him.

Inside, the zombies could be heard running down the street. It was only a matter of seconds before they turned their corner, and slammed against the house. They'd recognize it, Axel was sure.

"Will you be alright?" The blond spared, knowing they didn't have much time. The redhead ran back into the living room, turning on all the tv's, the radio, and the lights.

"I'll catch up later, hurry up and get to the other house. Remember, two houses down, no further, no closer." He said firmly.

With a final nod at his lover, the blond was out the house lady on shoulder, and leveraging her, and then himself over the fence.

Axel sighed through his nose. They'd be safe for now.

_Slam!_

He jumped at the assault taken against the house.

Time was running out.

By now the kitchen smelled of gas, and with a tense glance of finality, he reached into his pocket. His trusty lighter.

He'd have to let it go.

He placed it in the center of the stove, grabbed all the silverware in the sink, and threw it in the microwave, with a noisy clatter. He slammed the door shut, and set that baby on high.

The focused teen moved to stand before the door that led to the back yard.

One of the bookshelves fell over, and with haste, he grabbed the rifle off his back, and aimed for his lighter, pulling the trigger. He missed.

He groaned, reloading the gun, and tried again. He wasn't the best with aim, but he'd be damned if he didn't get lucky for once tonight.

Hands steady, he fired once more, nothing but the new woman, Robert, and Roxas on his mind.

He cursed, and bit his lip as four zombies were hastily making their way into the living room through the windows.

It was another miss, just grazing the lighter. He'd been hoping it'd at least catch fire.

Suddenly, the distinctive smell of something other than stoves gas filled the air. He recognized it the moment it hit his nose.

Naphtha. That would be, the fluid put in lighters.

With fear like no other crawling through his heart, he sprinted for the fence, hopping over, and took exactly four steps before...

_**BOOM!**_

Roxas was caught off guard, and covered his own ears. Poor Robert whimpered, stuffing his face between his paws in an attempt to block out some of the noise.

It was useless, and only made it bearable for all the room occupants. The woman twitched in Roxas arms, face scrunching in a wince. He sighed, feeling happiness course through his body.

She was alive.

He used his forearm to cover her ears as well, cutting off the blood-curdling screams minutely. A few smaller explosions went off, and eventually the noise quieted down enough to remove his hands. He let go of her, and a new fear coursed through him.

Where was Axel?

As though on cue, the door he came in through was thrown open, and in came the object of his thoughts, panting and shaking the slightest.

The redhead closed the door behind him, and stalked over to his lover sitting next to a fireplace, and plopped down onto the ground tiredly, simply trying to calm his pumping heart, and erratic breathing.

"I love you." came the softest murmur, and those words... those words seemed to awaken Roxas, breaking through him, and he allowed himself to cry once more today, slumping against the other tired, but happy.

They did it.

They actually did it.

He laughed through his tears, smiling, and pulling the redhead close to his body, snuggling into his chest.

They were alive. They saved the woman, and they both made it to safety, alive.

"I love you too." The blond whispered, truly feeling as though he could have lost his boyfriend at any point during their rescue mission. It was killing him, because somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he very well could have.

He sobbed, and pulled the other tighter to his body. "I love you so much..." he repeated. He didn't care how many times he said it, as long as he could hear the other teen say it back to him. Hear him speak, and move, and kiss him, reaffirming that, yes, they were alive, he was happy.

His face was abruptly pulled up to face the other, and he closed his swollen eyes happily, soaking in the others warmth, the others rough lips being smashed against his passionately. The tears that were not his own dripping onto his face.

They stayed that way for the longest time, until they both felt ready to pull away, and even then they continued to lean against the other, breathing in the other boys scent.

Axel glanced tiredly to the sleeping blond woman beside them. Now that he could see her properly, he could see her chest rising and falling at a good enough pace. It'd probably take awhile to expand the way it should after being squished under that seat, though.

"Should we search the house?"

"No need. I saw a foreclosure sign in the front when we passed through the first time. Aside from the stage furniture, it's empty." the other replied.

"What do we do with her?" Roxas asked suddenly. The taller lover shrugged, wrapping his arms around the blonds waist.

"We'll just wait till she wakes up, and then decide what to do from there."

With a tired nod, he closed his eyes, the other following suit, and fell asleep.

It was hours into the night when their survivor would awake.

She didn't want to wake up though. Not again. She didn't want to open her eyes to the depressing sight of her crooked driver wheel, or have to hear the loud, relentless screams of the undead surrounding her. She was so tired. And hungry...

She'd stuck it out for days, hoping someone would help her, even though she knew, if it was her, her survival instinct would tell her not to save someone in her situation. So she wouldn't.

She winced in preparation of the sharp pain she knew she'd feel cut through her whole body, and prepared herself not to scream, tears building in her eyes. Though it never came.

It was there, naturally, cause she'd broken her leg, but it was a dull ache, compared to the agony of having her body contorted under her drivers seat.

Imagine that. One second your driving around a mountain to get to a headquarters, and next moment, someone rams into the back of your car, sending you down the cliff, giving you a minor concussion, and a severely broken leg.

Oh, and then they took your guns.

Leaving all but one just to mock you, because even if you could shoot them unnoticed, you'd run out. Though, she seriously doubted they intended for her to shoot the zombies.

What they did want wasn't gonna happen though. She'd break her leg even more to fit in a two-and-a-half, by two, space before she killed herself. As luck would have it, that was what she had to do.

The eerie silence suddenly rung through her mind, almost as loud as the sudden blaring of her car horn had. Now that she listened, she could still hear it but it was... soft, and far away. She allowed herself to open her eyes, and sighed in both astonishment, and slight admiration.

The first thing she noted was two kids cuddled next to each other in a desperate embrace. The second thing she noticed was her gun sprawled out in between them. The third...

A figure standing off to her right.

There was a shadow outlined by an unknown light off to the side of the house. She waited patiently to see what it would do, and it was creeping towards the three with a stealthy grace that a zombie could not possess.

They were moving for the gun.

_Fuck that._

She grabbed the gun, and before one could begin to blink, before one could register that she'd awoken, she shot the figure in the ankle with perfect aim. Twice.

With a deep-green glance to the sleeping couple, she smiled softly. Still asleep, she noted.

Thank Goodness for silencers.

The stranger fell in a heap of limbs, cursing softly as they nursed their injured foot. They were male, she noted absently.

She scooted herself against the fire place behind her, and kept the aim on this intruders head while she spoke, deep voice ringing through the room with ease.

"Nice to meet you. What brings you here?" she spoke, a feigned politeness soaking her tone. The wounded man grunted.

"Same thing as you. Trying to survive." He said, and abruptly launched to grab the gun. She was quicker though, and smacked the back of the gun to his nose. His body twitched at the impact, collapsing once more.

"Now, now, let's be civil. I really don't like waking people up when their sleeping." She said scolding. "On a side note, did you know it takes longer for kneecaps to heal than ankles?" She said conversationally. The intruder stilled considerably, backing away a few feet. She nodded in approval, and sighed, leaning back against the wall comfortably.

"I-I was-" He broke off his sentence as her narrowed eyes sharpened, reminding him to lower his voice. "I-I was here first!" He whispered harshly. She tilted her head, her face scrunched in confusion. True, she'd have probably noticed if he had got here from outside, what with the freezing weather.

What idiots slept in someone's house without searching it first?

Her gaze pulled itself in the direction of the teenagers that had, apparently, saved her, and she sighed looking back to stranger.

"Anyone else here?" She asked. He shook his head.

Good.

"Alright, sense _neither_ of us are suppose to be here. I'll make you a deal. " She said smiling kindly. "I'll place my gun in between us, and if you can get to it before I can, you can take the gun, and we'll leave, no questions asked. Deal?" she finished. The male intruder was cautious though.

"What happens if you win?" He asked shakily. She couldn't resist a wolfish grin, licking the front of her teeth joyously.

"Well then I'd get to keep the gun of course. And naturally, you would have to _go_. But that's fair right?" She asked.

The stranger nodded fervently, eying the gun. She carefully placed it between them, and pulled away.

Green met Grey, and she already knew the outcome.

"On Three. _No cheating_, okay? One..." She said lowly. The man looked to be sweating bullets, staring at the gun, and only the gun.

"_Two_..." She whispered, looking at the man with a childish excitement.

"Th-" Her competitors arm twitched minutely, and that was it for him.

One well placed bullet sealed the deal, and he was a bundle of unmoving limbs.

She stared lazily at the motionless body, putting the gun right back where it was before she picked it up.

She sighed, grabbing her clothed, unbroken left leg, and biting it hard enough to bruise, but soft enough to not break skin. Then she grabbed the same legs foot, and squeezed until a noticeable bruise encircled her ankle.

Her right leg was so swollen, you wouldn't notice if there was a bruise. So she left it alone.

With that done, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to rest.

_'Dumb fuck, could have saved me' _she noted before falling asleep.

* * *

**Sigh... Well tell me what you think. It makes be very happy to see you guys review. Sorry for spelling errors, I really am just too tired. I'll read back over it soon, promise.  
**


	10. Chapter 10

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Joshua Brown

* * *

In light of recent events, Roxas was becoming accustomed to not making noise when something startled him. That said; the immobile body turned face-down on the floor in front of him was _startling_.

The moment he awoke, his body let out a violent shudder. It was still just as cold as it had been when he fell asleep. He huffed shakily, then flatly watched as the exertion formed a breath cloud in the air before him.

He only hoped for a temporary respite from the constant threat of death when he had fallen asleep. However, the moment his eyes fell closed, he dreamed of the previous day in excruciatingly vivid detail. He was forced to relive everything starting from the roof of the diner, all the way to covering the survivors ears when Axel exploded a house.

Axel exploded a house. They rescued the woman. The survivor had survived.

Warmth coursed through him and it felt like hope and respect. Hope for their survival and respect for himself.

His redheaded partner was still fast asleep, visibly effected by the previous night's adventure. He deserved so much, and Roxas hoped the other didn't simply dream of everything they wanted to escape like he did. He rubbed the others hands lovingly, and made himself wake up enough to reassess his surroundings.

The hopefully _completely_ dead corpse lay in front of the notably alive and curiously conscious survivor- whom did not seem to notice her also conscious savior had awoken beside her.

The woman was either slow and oblivious to the corpse before her, or aware but simply nonplussed. She didn't sound slow and oblivious on the radio so Roxas smartly concluded the corpse was most likely _really_ a corpse and not one of these new _un_dead types.

The room was dark, lit only by the soft darkness of the early morning twilight in Hallow Bastion. To the left of the room was a sink that he doubted was connected to water but hoped so. One short hallway was on either side of the room. He faintly made out the outline of the generic home-staging couch he completely passed in his rush to get inside. He should have put the survivor on it. That would have been better then her sleeping, once again, in discomfort.

The survivor. Thoughts of the woman they saved drizzled down his mind like sheets of cool liquid. He looked at the survivor who was counting something on her hands- at times adding or taking away a finger.

How did the zombie get in? How did she kill it by herself? Did she shoot it? How did they not hear that?

He remained staring at the newcomer as though it would give him answers.

Without looking away from her hands, "You gonna keep staring at me? I'd say take a picture, but I'm not looking so hot right now."

Roxas flushed, but he didn't look away. Now that she was awake, he could fully analyze her. He had already noticed her unnerving resemblance to his mother. There were still differences, enough that if he did not allow himself to ponder on it, he could ignore it. So he did.

"Ehm… Hey",came his soft whisper. He hoped they wouldn't wake his sleeping boyfriend. She didn't even glance at him though. He cleared his throat, "Are you okay? "

Three feet away the survivor sized him up in much the same manner he had to her. She had glanced at him and his lover a couple of times- enough to remember their faces. It was different when someone was awake though. You got to see what expressions and mannerisms they had. You could hear how they sounded, and feel what vibes they put off.

His expression, for one, was that of genuine concern. His hands absently fidgeted with his sleeping lovers fingers as he stared between her and her leg. He looked like he sounded. A _short- to-her-but-not-short-_ teenage boy, with slightly effeminate looks. He vibed like he would crack under too much pressure. She hoped she was wrong.

"Larxene.", she said, still looking the other up and down. She watched him go through series of expressions.

Finally, it landed on confused. "What?"

"My name is Larxene-" Her voice rang in his ears smoothly, lowly, and Roxas wondered at how she could speak lowly and still make less noise than he had whispering. She smiled, "-and I'm fine, thanks"

"I'm Roxas.", he glanced at his sleeping lover, "and this is Axel."

"You two boyfriends?" Larxene asked, and nothing but curiosity shone on her face.

Shyly, "Is it that obvious?"

She chuckled, "_Yeah. _You guys are a _little_ too close over there to be anything less. I actually thought you were an ambiguously dressed, masculine looking, girl until you spoke just now."

Roxas was only briefly offended. Upon closer inspection of her wry smile he saw she meant no harm and he smiled weakly in return.

He looked to her covered leg, "Uh… Is your leg going to be okay?".

Her eyes followed the other blonds to her broken limb. She knew it was mangled underneath the thick fabric of her loose jeans. It softly throbbed and ached when she moved it around. She resisted the urge to roll up her pant leg. It would only make the pain feel worse if she examined the full extent of the damage.

A heavy sigh, "It better be."

She attempted to move the digits of her feet, unsure if her leg would have the same matter of fact views as herself. Just her small pinkie toe would give completely. The rest of them consented to a single violent twitch and that was it. Through the leather of her shoes she felt air hitting her skin- and that was promising.

"Well I'm not completely paralyzed." She noted aloud. Roxas nodded.

"That's good…", his voice trailed off as he tried not to stare too long at the limb himself. It was so horribly broken, and to imagine what it must look like uncovered disturbed him.

To make himself stop gawking at it he looked to the dead body in front of her, and gestured in it's general direction. At the smaller blondes light questioning look she nodded and turned to face the body herself.

"Loony came in from upstairs late last night trying to bite at me. He nicked at my good leg a bit, but didn't do much but bruise through my jeans." She paused in thought. "I'm surprised the mutt didn't hear him. Or the shot for that matter."

"Robert?",he glanced at the sleeping dog. He did find it rather odd that Robert hadn't barked, or even awoken them if such a commotion took place. Larxene shrugged.

"He's probably old. Tell your boyfriend to open his eyes if he's awake. Let's not play games now."

Roxas startled, eyes snapping to his partner just in time to see his lovers eyes open, and narrow at Larxene.

Axel sat up against the wall, staring her down. Unlike Roxas, he noticed the body immediately and grabbed the clunky rifle out of reflex. Larxene laughed lightly.

"Good reflexes. The dead guy is dead though. _Really_ dead, not _un_dead."

Sternly, "What happened?"

"What, you weren't _listening_?" She admonished. Roxas looked between his lover and the new comer as they both stared the other down silently. Did he miss something?

Axel sat back against the wall with his neck set tersely.

"I heard the tail end of it. About our '_mutt'_, and a shot being fired without him or _us_ hearing it. "

"So you know all I can tell you then."

"Robert is only four years old and he's also a _guard_ dog for my neighbor; mind telling me why he didn't wake up to the sound of a gun?"

"It's like I said. He must be old.", the response was flippant and elusive and Axel tried to stare her down again. She wouldn't meet his gaze though, and she busied her hands massaging her injured thigh. She was lying.

"What are you doing Ax?" the male blond asked when the redhead suddenly began patting his hands over the corpses pockets.

"Checking for ID." the other murmured.

Useless trash filled most of the dead ones pockets. In the others ones; a phone, a folded up piece of paper, and an unhealthy amount of crushed and used salt packets. He handed his boyfriend the phone out of the pile he'd made for what he found.

"Check his shoes...", the survivor suggested from behind him.

The person didn't seem to have anything but packets of sea salt and paper, but he did as she suggested.

He removed and shook each shoe upside down- and startled to see a tan leather wallet fall out onto the floor along with a few pennies. He dug through the wallet- absently noting they _only_ had pennies- and found the sheet of plastic he'd been looking for.

Then he frowned and his whole face dropped with the weight it.

Somewhere over his shoulder, "Joshua… Brown?". Judging by his tone, Roxas was just as bemused as he was.

When the redhead continued to stare pensively at the piece of plastic, the small blonde turned to face the female in the room. She shrugged.

Axel turned over the corpse, still not quite believing his eyes. He had to now.

"This is Ms. Brown's grandson. ", to Larxene's puzzled silence he added, "Ms. Brown is Robert's old owner. I'd only really glanced at his profile before. Spoiled, well spoken, kind of reclusive. We talked once or twice, but Ms. Brown would pull him away from me before he could say much."

Roxas glanced at the resting dog now understanding why Robert never woke up to warn them of his presence. He knew Joshua's scent too well to perceive it as a threat.

"I thought he was… y'know-" Roxas tapped his temple. The few times Roxas himself had saw Joshua he seemed mentally challenged. Axel shook his head though.

"He was… slow the slightest; but not necessarily ill. He couldn't grasp certain things; like locking the door, or handling keys, nothing related to taking care of Robert. He can speak well enough, but he's vastly co-dependent. I don't think he's ever not had a guardian around. Ms. Brown loved him just as much as she adored Robert though."

Beside them, Larxene looked away in thought choosing to remain silent. Axel paid note to her expression. Despite her seemingly uncaring features her eyes were calculating.

He didn't believe her when she said Joshua was un-dead when she found him. To have come out so far had to have meant he followed them, and he doubted by foot. To lie meant she was connected in some way. She didn't seem to care who he was though. Why was the knowledge of Joshua's identity seemingly useless, but the knowledge that he was not a zombie when she found him worth being hidden?

"It's kind of a long drive from your place to here Ax. Why is he this far out? _How _is he this far out? When did he turn?"

Axel was wondering the same things.

"Where is your place?" the other blond in the room asked. Axel took in her calm, un challenging features, and sighed.

"Len's town. We started in Crenshaw though, just before things got too hectic to leave unscathed. We found Robert in my Apartment and-"

"You went to an Apartment during a zombie apocalypse?", and her words were scolding. He glared.

"_Yeah_. I did. I had to make sure my friends were okay. Or at least alive. I didn't find them, but I found Robert. He was hiding when I got there- the whole front was surrounded. We left and found an isolated and relatively secure diner in between towns, which is where we found the radio. We stayed for a night, got back on the road, and that's when we heard your broadcast a few miles back."

"Why didn't you stay at the diner?" She questioned. Axel looked down to his lightly scarred hands and contemplated his next words.

Should he tell her the real reason he left? He'd only lightly even told Roxas the full extent of his random symptoms. If she was anything like him these recent blackouts would definitely raise the already tense dynamic between them.

In the end, he decided lying wouldn't prompt her to come clean with whatever she was holding back from them. Then the thought of what the symptoms could mean for not only his mortality; but his boyfriends, struck him.

She needed to be here. He'd need someone around other than Robert to help Roxas if he couldn't for whatever reason.

For now, the gun was in his hands, and he clenched it closer.

"I started to get these... blackouts. I haven't been bitten-"

"You sexually active?"

"Hey, fuck you-"

"You been scratched?" She cut in once more. His eyes narrowed further, but he shook his head slowly. "Have you taken in their blood orally? Have you ingested it?"

Back at the diner, when Roxas revealed himself to be a bit of a fetishist, Axel had only obliged him the small splatters on his forearms and neck. He discreetly wiped his hands off on Roxas shirt while they moved against each other, and even then made sure not touch any orifice on his loves body. He'd already wiped his face off before he'd came into the room. He may have been turning into something, but Roxas would _not_ change with him.

Prior to that? Axel couldn't think of where or when the disease could have infected him. His symptoms started before then as well.

She stared at him for as long as he took to answer and her expression stayed hard, unrelenting, and expectant. Slowly, he shook his head. She sighed through her nose skeptically but pressed no further.

At least he told her. She wouldn't have said anything if she'd been having symptoms herself. The news was worrying, but if the ginger kid got this far without eating his boyfriend she doubted it was the same sickness the loonies had. Or maybe she was wrong, and it was just a different strain.

She glanced at her mangled leg and decided there were more definitive ways she could die right now than random zombie attack by one of her saviors.

" I might die of a bacterial infection in as little as a day or two if I can't get at least some crude beer on these burns. Do you two have a first aid kit? I know how to use it, but they took mine."

"Burns?" Roxas piped confused. She regarded him tiredly.

"My car was on fire for a couple of hours initially. It was small, and did nothing but heat the metal of my car for a bit. But it was enough to draw the dead guys my way, and give me a few lacerations on my shin.", at the smaller blonde's horrified expression she continued softly, "I just need something to wash the surface, and I should be good enough until we can get to the mall."

Roxas frowned, "Larxene, uh...we never said we were going to the mall."

Larxene frowned harder, "Well where _were_ you going to go? There's no where else to go _but _the mall."

"We were gonna look for a safe place after we saved you, and then start driving again."

"Well where were you gonna stop?"

"We thought you could tell us. We need to find our friends, and we know they are on this side of town."

Larxene scoffed softly, rolling her eyes. She stretched from her laying position and rolled onto her stomach.

"You're so _stupid_." She breathed.

Roxas cut his eyes and growled, "Axel is smarter than anyone you'll know. He got us out of everything we've gotten into, from quick thinking _alone_."

She sneered, "Yeah, and what have _you_ gotten you out of, huh Blondie?"

Roxas hoped his own sneer masked what he really felt, because the words stung him deeply.

Axel noticed. "Maybe we should stuff you back under your fucking car seat, that sounds like a great idea right about now.", he barked. She didn't flinch.

"Maybe you should. I think I'd last longer.", was her calm rebut. Axel saw red. Literally. His anger suddenly overwhelmed him, his vision blocked by neon crimsons. For all of two seconds he was blinded by them as they swirled in his vision. Then as quickly as they had obscured his vision they were gone again.

"Yeah, let's hear you say that again the next time you need someone to help you run, ungrateful bitch." he tried to growl the words- but his voice was breathless, and distant. The sudden flash had replaced all his anger with fear. Before she could say more he was standing and rushing out of the room.

Larxene sighed.

These were the people who saved her. She didn't like it, but they were. These were also the people who would be hefting her one hundred-and-forty-two pound body to where ever they would go next. She wasn't trying to be argumentative, but she'd done so much to survive- her whole life really- and these kids weren't thinking with their heads.

She tried to gauge the blond kids mood- and her natural fight promptly died out. Her words clearly held a weight she didn't know about when she said them. It was making her feel even shittier than she already did for making Ginger up and leave.

Finally, she sighed through her nose with a better resolve than when she woke up counting just how many guns she lost to the assholes who rammed her off the road.

Where they went was up to them, and she'd just have to hang in there for the ride. Just like last time.

Hopefully things would turn out _better_ than last time.

"I'm...judging a lot right now for someone who can't walk by herself, huh?" she tried to joke. The blond kid, Roxas, didn't look at her. His eyes downcast and distant. The _dog_ even seemed annoyed with her.

She sighed, "You two are right, I can't do anything for myself right now. And you didn't have to save me. You did. Somehow, you two-" a quick glanced at the awake and wary canine, "- and Airbud; saved me. _Thank you_."

She relaxed at the sight of the tight smile on the other blonds face.

_Bzzzzz Bzzzzz_

Roxas and the woman looked at the vibrating phone in his hands in the same moment Axel came back into the room. The redhead stared at the device, just as startled as the others.

_B__zzzz_

"I'll answer it." Larxene suggested reaching for the phone in Roxas hands. Axel rushed over and took the phone first. He glared at her and turned his body away. She glared back.

He rolled his eyes at the face, and turned his head as well to read the screen.

"What does it say?" Roxas asked trying to get a peek from behind him.

The redhead turned to face his boyfriend slowly, eyes blinking, face tight. His hard green eyes turned on the survivor, dark and searching. The survivor eyed him back as she inched away from him.

"Axel?", the other male stood up to move behind him. He looked over his shoulder- and his own own eyes hardened before they fell on Larxene.

Axel spoke first, "Earlier you said someone stole your med kit-" she wasn't suppose to have said that. Fuck. "-who?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes actually, because _you_ seem to be calling our dead friend Joshua here. " He stepped closer, "Who is this?"

The survivor stared up at the two and then at the body on the floor, carefully planning what to say next.

* * *

Next chapter tommorow.


	11. Chapter 11

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Compensation

* * *

The phone was still buzzing.

Larxene considered her next words carefully. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to say the whole truth. She wasn't sure if she _wanted _to give them a half truth either.

"I don't know.", she tried. Red eyebrows rose in feigned surprise. The ginger nodded in faux understanding.

"Hmm." he hummed, turning the phone over in his hand a few times. "Maybe they know you-" before any one could object, the phone was being flipped open.

Aware of the visibly stricken female he turned away. Roxas moved beside him to listen closely.

He waited for the caller to speak first.

"_Answer the phone quicker." _after a few seconds of silence, "_Hello?_ _Answer me retard."_

He definitely knew Joshua.

"_I know you're on the phone boy."_

Axels spoke before the person on the other end hung up.

"What do you want?"

"..._You__ ain't that retarded boy. Who is this?"_

"Who is this suppose to be?"

"_Not you."_

"You don't sound like a Larxene." as he spoke, he turned to look at said blond pointedly. She looked away.

Axel turned back around.

"_You don't sound __like __a Joshua. __I'm sure some ducks moo too though__."_

"Where did you get this phone from?"

"_Pretty blond lady. You know her?", _ Axel stayed silent for a few seconds. Long enough to form an idea. He glanced at the blond that was not his boyfriend and held her eyes as he spoke.

"Yes! I've been looking for her, is she okay?" He said with all the right inflections to sound like a genuinely concerned friend.

Larxene couldn't hear what the person on the other end was saying, but she could hear Ginger. What was he playing at?

"_...Yeah."_, the caller replied. Axel would have laughed if not for the state of things.

"That's great! So she's with you? Can I talk to her?"

The person on the other end sucked their teeth and sighed, _"Y'know this girl is something else, she's been __kicking zombie ass all day__. __Out like a light. We can deliver her to ya though. If ya want. We w__ere__ looking for our Joshua ourselves, maybe we can trade. He with you? "_

Axel had to decide what to do and quickly, because too long of a pause would give him away.

Roxas, previously leaning on the redheads shoulder to listen, moved to stand in front of him. He mouthed the words 'Yes'.

Axel nodded.

"Yeah, but he's kind of asleep too. He doesn't really talk a lot anyway, so I don't know if you'd get much out of him even if he was awake."

The man on the other end laughed, _'Oh, that's okay. I don't need him to say much.'_

What did that mean? Axel wasn't allowed to ponder anything, because Roxas was already mouthing something else to him.

"Oh, okay then. We don't have a car so we can't go very far."

Larxene's eyes bugged. She began to vehemently gesture to him, and Axel knew each one of the fervent movements to be variants of _'no'._

If she wanted a say in what they did, she should have been honest from the start.

_'Well we got space, how many of ya'll are up there?'_

Axel noted the number of fingers his boyfriend held up, and replied.

As though to himself,"Two..four,-" then normally,"-Six. Just the six of us it would seem. How many with you?"

_'Oh, not many. We're a small group, not much supplies, but we're making due. So where do I drop off the pretty lady?'_

Fuck. Axel didn't know this area, and there was no way to ask Larxene without giving himself away.

Roxas- sweet, handsome, _beautiful_ Roxas, mouthed to him once more.

"The...mall. Hollow bastion mall."

It was the only place either knew by name, and the only place either could get to by foot without depending on Larxene's directions. Who, by now, was probably the last person he wanted to trust to direct them to her previous captors.

The man laughed, _'You sure your lot can get there in one piece? You ain't gotta car, and it ain't Stepford over there any more.' _

Axel didn't need to look to the others for his next answer, "We'll get there. Give us till tomorrow at noon, we'll wait in the parking lot."

The man laughed yet again, _'__Y__ou sure you wanna wait in the parking lot of a mall in these times bro?'_

The man had a point, but Axel had a better one, "We'll just go inside until it's time."

_'I don't know if you'll be worse or better off inside, but hell, you got this far. I think you'll get there without losing a limb on the way. Larxene will be _so_ happy to see you- oh, what did you say you're name was again? So I can tell her who called. She's a feisty one, wouldn't believe me if I just said I was dumping her off to a good friend with no name.'_

Axel felt like the last bit of information was the only true thing the man had said this whole conversation.

Roxas gestures were very fervently prompting him to give a fake name. Larxene's face was blank, her own eyes distant.

He would play it safe, "Lea.". That was his middle name. As Axel half expected, the man laughed.

_'What a _pretty_ name. Well it was nice talking to you _Lea_- oh, and you can call me '_Beanie'_, that's what my friends call me. I guess we'll talk again tomorrow? In the flesh?'_

"It's a plan." He chirped. That was a little cheerier than he intended, but the man- _Beanie_, didn't seem to notice.

Axel heard another voice, distant, muffled, and distressed begin to say something- and the call dropped.

On _their _end.

He looked to the screen and sighed. On the small glowing panel, the shape of a battery flashed in red twice before the screen clicked off. Axel doubted Joshua was able to charge it sense he left the apartments. He actually doubted Joshua knew _how _to.

He turned to the only female in the room and wasted no time, "Talk. _Now_."

Larxene didn't waste time either,"What do you want to know?" she asked. They knew too much, and Larxene didn't have bargaining room. Not unless she could get her hands on that gun.

"Whatever it is you know that I don't."

Larxene bit back the snarky reply that came to her initially and answered, "What did he sound like?

Axel considered this, "Male, early twenties. Kind of a facetious manner of talking. At times broken English, but well spoken enough. A little nasally."

The female considered his words, "His name is Seifer."

Axel nodded.

Roxas frowned.

"Why does he want Joshua, and how do you know him?"

"I don't really know why, but he had the kid captive with him in the back of his pick-up. They are a group of a little over a dozen- we can't fight them, Axel.", she hoped the use of Gingers name would make him see she was serious. He considered her briefly, but he largely ignored her.

"Since when did you meet them?"

"Since things went to shit. I traveled with them- I didn't have any other way to get around at first. I promised them a few weapons in compensation. We got to my headquarters in Crenshaw safely, I got my car and weapons, then on our way back-" she paused to swallow. "Well you know the rest. They took _everything_-", Her eyes grew distant before focusing on the gun in Axels hands, "Except that."

Axel nodded. Roxas voiced one of his many thoughts.

"Was their pick-up truck all yellow, with flames on the side?"

Larxene's eyes hardened. She nodded, slowly.

He looked between Axel and Larxene, "I saw a car- back at the diner- it was speeding down the road, and there were a bunch of people in it. They were all loud, and varying in age."

"When was that?" she asked.

"Yesterday morning."

Larxene spoke to herself for a second, then aloud, "They must have circled back around."

"Larxene." Roxas whispered, said blond gave him her attention. "I saw a someone, in a bag, moving and yelling. I wasn't sure if it was a zombie, or a person- was that Joshua?"

Larxene saw no point in lying, "Yes. I saw his face many times."

Axel swallowed, "Then that must be when they lost Joshua."

"So when they lost him, that's when he turned?" Roxas asked.

Larxene was silent. Axel walked closer to her.

"Is that true? Did Joshua really turn?"

Larxene looked away.

She wasn't sure if she should tell her already distrusting saviors that she shot a boy that she knew was mentally slow. She was also unsure if they would take her reasoning the right way.

They looked at her with anxious faces; but it was Roxas stern eyes looking through her that made her stay honest.

"No. He didn't." her voice was low, and detached- but they heard her. Axel, having already suspected as much only sighed. Roxas glared at her with a venom she didn't know he was capable of.

"You shot a mentally ill kid when you didn't _have_ to?" He was seething, and Larxene uncharacteristically felt the need to defend herself to him.

"No, I did not _shoot _him for the hell of it. I didn't notice it was him until last minute, and by then I had no choice but to kill him, because he wanted us to leave. He was trying to take our gun, and- for the record- he's not _that_ stupid, he managed to get _'as far as the outskirts of Crenshaw'_, he said." She finished her rant with a huff, and Roxas frowned and turned away. At least he wasn't accusing her of psychopathic behavior anymore.

Axel sighed, "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is we have to meet them tomorrow at noon, and we have to be smart about it."

"Smart would probably have been not agreeing to meet a group of a dubious size near a mall-", at the couples glare, "-but I agree, let's make a plan. How are we going to get there?" She asked.

"Last night I burned a house- yes, it made lots of noise, you're alive, get over it- I was thinking we could use the probably surrounded house to our advantage. If we get out of range of the zombie crowd, from there we should encounter a lot less of the loons."

"Since most of them are probably here. ", Roxas added.

_'He __is__ so _cute_', _Axel gushed to himself. Roxas caught the face immediately and blushed.

"Nice plan, now how do we get _by _the zombie crowd." She asked.

Axel, ripped himself from his less than serious thoughts, and walked out the room into the dining room. Roxas followed him, and he walked directly beside him when he could. Axel noticed.

"Let's look from either side, kay? We won't touch the blinds we'll just look through the gaps on either side- I'll face the burning house."

Roxas marched determinedly to the right of the blinds, and Axel stayed on the left.

"Do you see anything?" the redhead asked.

The blonds eyes continued to shift either way as he replied, "Not a lot. I see maybe three of them trailing aimlessly at the end of the street. But we could probably avoid them.

"Great. Cause going out the front door doesn't look like an option." he replied softly. Roxas frowned, moving to the others side, and looking out over his shoulder. He swallowed.

Hundreds. All bumping into houses, fences, each other, the car. They were all so quiet too. Eerily so.

"So... maybe we can just hop into the backyard in front of this one, and go down the street beside us."

Axel nodded, "We'll get a little farther down and away from the crowd, and_ then_ we'll hop the fence into the next lanes backyards."

Roxas nodded and turned around- only to be twisted around seconds later.

He was suddenly being passionately kissed by a very hot set of lips. They were chapped, and rough, and yet they felt _amazing_ in the fierce cold of the empty house. The blond leaned in closer, sighing through his nose contentedly. His body melted, and melded against the other.

His eyes opened to slits, and he smiled at the red hair littering the sides of his boyfriends forearms. Said forearms wrapped around him.

Axel - who never was able to resist the others smile; lapped at the others teeth, then his gums, then the roof of his mouth. Roxas shuddered, his face flushed, his eyes open. He maintained intense eye contact with the other for several breath taking seconds.

"You two better not be porking each other in there."

The couple stayed lip-locked for several more seconds.

"Hello?" Larxene called again.

They finally pulled away.

"We should-", Roxas stammered.

"Yeah." Axel finished. Another set of bashful glances, and they returned to the foyer.

When the two returned, it was too obvious what they'd been up to. Their faces were red, they were trying and subsequently failing to hide little grins, and they wouldn't look at the other. Larxene thought it was almost cute.

Almost.

"So?" She asked. The redhead nodded.

"There are easily over a hundred of them around the house." He said. She glared at something behind them, and he went on. "We're gonna hop two yards down, and then cross over into the backyards of the houses in the lane over."

"Good plan. Then what?"

"Then you tell us the least used way to get to the mall from there.", the ginger kid finished. She nodded.

"Why tell you then when I can tell you now. There's an under pass to the north of the city- west of where we are now. It's kinda dark and gross down there- but that's why no one ever takes it. The world went to shit on a Monday- not a lot of people heading to the mall that day. We might just be able to pull this off."

"Do you have any advice for meeting...Seifer, tomorrow?" Roxas asked. Larxene cringed.

"Advice?" the couple nodded, "Yeah- _don't._"

"We have to, he has you're weapons and all you're other supplies too-"

"So that's what this is about? You won't get them back Blondie. That's assuming they didn't use them up, or throw them away."

"We have to try." Axel mumbled.

Roxas turned to him,"Do you think we could get to our car?"

The other frowned in thought, "That sure would help. I still have a first-aid kit in there, and a tool kit. I might even be able to splint her leg." He looked to his boyfriend, "You have the keys?"

Roxas frowned, "No..."

The redhead smiled softly, "The car would've been too loud and too noticeable anyway."

"It also would've been really quick, and gave me more time with this leg.", the female in the room derisively added. Axel glared. "I do think we can do this without it though."

The tallest of the three nodded. " I think we need to take him," he nodded to the dead body.

"And why is that?" The female in the room asked. Axel sighed with the imaginary weight of carrying two people.

"Because if only me and Roxas show up, with no one in tow, he'll probably shoot us on sight."

"He'll shoot you anyway when he sees the dead kid is dead." She pointed out.

"That's where you come in." He admitted. His eyes went stern, and his eyebrows furrowed, "Can I trust you with a gun?"

"I'll have to trust you with a splint."

The redhead nodded.

"Can-I-trust-you-with-a-_gun?" _He repeated, slower, leaning toward her like she was a child. He needed an honest, serious answer. Not this bitch's sass.

Larxene wanted to punch him.

"Yes. You-can-trust-me-with-a-_gun_.", she replied in the same broken way the redhead had used with her.

Roxas, just a little wary, "Why don't you give me the gun?"

"I'm gonna need you to get the stuff while they aren't looking, and then Larxene will..." He looked at all the human occupants in the room. "Larxene will take out as many as she can while you and I take cover."

The tallest blond frowned,"There's only four in that chamber now."

The only redhead nodded, "Use them wisely."

Larxene wasn't phased by any of the Redheads instructions, and nodded stoically. She had no choice but to comply. She may even get a little revenge out on beanie. They would either die or get lucky, and these kids seemed to _always_ have luck on their side.

Roxas was softly torn, but it was either... Seifer's group or theirs. He frowned.

He didn't want to think like that.

"You can't feel sorry for them, Roxas.", his head snapped up to stare into the eyes that once again reminded him of his mother with their stern cast, "They are a bunch of no-life junkies, with a whole broken system to themselves. They ran me off a cliff- and let's _all_ remember; this whole '_trade__'__'_ to them is just a trick to take Joshua- and whatever supplies you two would've had on you. If you were lucky, he would've taken you hostage and used you for whatever he could- and _then _he'd kill you. They aren't worth sympathy. Don't give them it."

The shaky breath Roxas breathed in next was a lot easier to breathe out. She was right.

"How much do you weigh?", Roxas asked.

The other blond answered mechanically, "Ten stones, Sixty-four kilo's, and a hundred and-forty-two pounds."

Roxas sighed through his nose.

"I can carry Larxene by myself, and you can carry Joshua. "

"You sure?" The redhead asked. Roxas nodded.

"So we have a plan then?" Larxene questioned. The couple nodded. "Alright. Help me up then."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, by the time you see this, everything has already been written, but at the time I'm writing, I really have no idea how long this will be- I can definitely say it's nearing the end. Thank you in advance to anyone who reviews, favorites, follows, all much appreciated. It's been too long sense I cold come back to this.**


	12. Chapter 12

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

The Troubling Gap

* * *

The houses on Agrabah lane -that is, the street where Larxene's car accident occurred- were all closely spaced houses. Closely spaced, but not close enough to make things quick and easy for the group. They had to be quick, and smooth, and quiet with whatever they chose to do regardless that slight advantage.

The fence that separated the backyards on '_Agrabah__'_lane, to the backyards on '_100 Acre'_ street; was on the higher part of an incline. An incline that would get them spotted very quickly if they were to stand on it from the yard they were in now. It was raised high enough so that they could very easily see over the roof of the one-floor-house- and _be_ seen by the zombies huddled around the burning house.

Into Roxas right ear,"Looks like your plan to go a few houses down was right after all Blondie."

They were outside now. The noise level of the undead was definitely louder from the yard- but still so eerily quiet for a group of creatures that had just been screaming and slamming against the side of a house the previous night.

The fence that separated the backyard they were in now to the yard they were trying to get to was virtually out of sight from the mob. Every two houses were connected, having once been a single structure. This meant the yard they hopped over now was not the one they worried about -but the one beside it.

They stayed as close to the houses as space permitted during their first hop. The action was hindered some as two of the four bodies were virtually dead weight. Fortunately, one of these two dead-weights were actually alive.

She retained enough muscle control in her arms to carry most of her body's burden over the fence. The redhead would heft her up, allowing her long arms to latch onto the rough wood of the dividing fence. Then she would sway her body -two swings for momentum- and once again she was dangling from the other side.

Already waiting in the next yard, Roxas plucked her off the fence bringing her weight back onto his side. He shuffled her away from the fence to make room for the other teen as well as the rapidly stiffening corpse on the other boys shoulder.

Axel, in the short seconds he pondered throwing Larxene over; decided tossing the _corpse_ over would be best. He double checked to make sure nothing lay in the way of where the corpse would land, and picked Joshua up- bridal style. He rolled the corpse upward and onto the pickets of the fence, and then let him drop. The heavy body collided with a thud that the soft earth of the manicured lawn muffled well.

Roberts hopping went a lot smoother. The dog could jump several feet in the air by himself. With only Axels lowered palms as a step, the retriever was bounding over the tall fence into the yard. Judging by the lack of horrified exclamations, the canine made it over alright.

Finally, Axel climbed and hopped over the fence himself. When he landed, the group was already on the other side of the yard, preparing to jump the next fence. The fence they had to worry about.

They all paused, they stood just feet before the gap that separated them from the next yard. The gap that a stray zombie could turn around and spot them through. The troubling gap.

Axel lowered Joshua to the cement patio softly; it wouldn't do to have him busting open and bleeding. Seifer would spot his lack of life from across the parking lot if that happened.

He moved past the others, whom stood waiting, and saw only two straggling zombies walking away in the opposite direction.

On Axel's signal, Roxas did a speedier version of his _climb-and-leap_. Next, Larxene swung her functioning leg to throw her weight better, and Roxas caught her on the other side. Joshua tumbled over the slightly shorter fence pickets, and landed with another dull thud that couldn't be heard over the zombie hoards moaning.

In between each toss up they scanned for onlooking undead. Thus far they went unnoticed.

Only after Roberts hind paws landed upon the ground safely did the redhead peer through the gap once more. Clear. He then peered through the dividing fences thin slats, all the way through to the wide and expectant gazes of his other companions. He steadied himself.

He tugged over the hood of his sweatshirt to cover his hair, and pulled the drawstrings on either side to secure it. All three of his companions, humans and canine; were blonds. A neutral color to see nestled in between the pale shades of Agrabah's suburbia. In the tungsten shade of the barely risen sun Axels purely_ red_ hair was not even remotely neutral. His tresses had been spotted in crowds before- better to be safe than eaten.

He tied off the draw strings - once, twice - he ran, hands poised upward to catch the spikes. He latched on, scraped both his hands against the tall pickets, and swung his leg over.

He saw red. Not the fire truck red of an escaped strand of hair, but the blisteringly rabid crimson of _anger _and _sickness_. He stayed on the fence longer than he should have, paralyzed with the sudden onslaught of pain. He fell into the next yard stiffly.

Through his fog he heard what was unmistakably Roxas let out a brief exclamation of surprise.

Roxas covered his mouth immediately after the noise escaped him- it couldn't have traveled more than a few feet, but -_No- _ the moans of the undead had marginally risen in volume.

On the ground, the redheads vision was flickering between the blistering crimson, and visions of the world around him. Each transition left him more disoriented and nauseous- he _had_ to get them to the other side. But his body wouldn't move, and he was still fighting the horrible things it was trying to do.

Roxas eyed the incline, eyed Joshua and Larxene's immobile bodies, eyed Axels crumpled body; and time slowed down.

Carry Larxene, carry Larxene. Hoist Robert, hoist Robert. Toss Joshua, toss Joshua. His mind chanted the orders, and his body complied smoothly. During his chanting he refused to glance behind him to see if a member of the undead crowd had spotted them. Roxas had to work for Axel- through whatever it was he was going through. The panic of disfigured faces contorting closer to him would snap him out of his convenient zen. So he didn't look over the roof of the houses to see if they'd been seen. Not even once.

When Joshua's heavy body flopped down in the backyard of 100 Acre lane; Axel went into a trance. When large hands roughly grabbed him from behind; Roxas came out of his.

On the other side of the fence, Larxene exhausted what little strength she had left to pull the dead kid out of the way for the couple to land. With only the leg that wasn't screaming, and her two sore and splintered hands for help, she got him several feet away from the fence.

Just as she slumped over to breathe the blond kid came spiraling over the fence in a heap of limbs. He scrambled upward, head bleeding, and stomped to where her and Joshua lay. He grabbed her by the collar and proceeded to drag her without caution.

She grunted at the roughness, punching him sharply in his thigh as he dragged her. He only gripped her tighter, and just as roughly, he shoved her against the front of the house. Out of sight from the zombies.

Larxene sat up sharply to- if not yell- hit him. She grabbed and squeezed the other blond by the wrist- and her venomous glare died a quick death at the tears spiraling down the others face. She frowned, letting go of the others arm.

Around the edge of the house Larxene watched the redhead coming up the lawn with militant precision. Joshua dragged behind him bumping and snagging on random lawn ornaments. His eyes, cast in a vacant stare, focused straight ahead.

Once he was at their side, he tossed Joshua like he was weightless. The vacant stare focused on her, then Roxas- and then melted into a stare of worry. Then relief. Then guilt- a lot of _guilt._

The noise of the zombie crowd had lowered to the same unnerving hum of calm that was present when they first left the house. The undead mob had resumed interest in the billowing flames of the burning house it seemed. It still flickered in the light of dusk, aided by cold winter air. How were they not spotted?

Larxene turned around- and quickly turned away at the suddenly intimate lip locked embrace of the couple. It left her feeling _cold _and bothered. She sighed.

"I think we should go inside now. Find some alcohol for my leg. Maybe you two could get a room. Mainly the latter.", her words pulled the teens lips apart- but not their eyes.

Instead of love and passion reflecting in their gazes; Larxene saw fear.

Robert whimpered, moving his snout between the couple to break them apart. The couple startled, and obligingly pulled away from each other. The survivor felt a pang of sympathy that annoyingly lingered. Even when the four of them hobbled to the door together, she was feeling it. Then the sympathy began morphing into _empathy- _and that was just ridiculous_._

The redhead made quick work of the knob, shoving a small blade into the keyhole and playing with it until it unlatched. A small blade that his boyfriend had pulled out his bleeding scalp and handed over helpfully. The redheads face had fallen, and Larxene grimaced at the throb of sympathy that stung her. Again.

Larxene was still guessing as to just _why _the other blond was tossed over the fence when the door clicked open. Robert rushed in before all of them poised for attack.

"_No, Robert!_"

The dog stopped, but stayed hunched, teeth baring, as he growled.

She followed the canines eyes with her own- and reflexively went for her hip. She frowned when her hands did not meet the smooth metal of her normally present pistol. Well, this really wasn't much of a threat she supposed

On the farther side of the room, twisting and twirling from the ceiling was a dead person - who wasn't _quite _dead.

The group stood in the doorway for a few seconds observantly. They watched it twitch in it's place above the ground, desperately reaching for them. It didn't seem able to scream through the pressure of the phone cord wrapped around it's neck- however hard it tried.

Roxas moved first, and began maneuvering the taller blond into the corner farthest from the zombie. On the other side of the room, Axel was tossing Joshua on to the carpeted patch of floor around the hanging zombie. The cadaver landed with a thump. Larxene curiously noted the _un_dead corpse never once grabbed toward the _dead _corpse- not like it was currently grabbing for the redhead.

The door clicked shut and Larxene was softly placed on the floor. From her place in the corner, she was able to watch the couple individually decide the same things at the same time. The dynamic between the two kids was admirable. They moved about the room wordlessly, both in search for a quieter weapon than the gun on the redheads back.

The redhead found a weapon first. He stopped before the dangling corpse in the center of the room and held the silver kitchen knife out to his other. The blond took it solemnly then caught and held the redheads green eyes. The taller male waited expectantly. The blond gazed back emptily.

Whatever reverie (or conversation,) the two had just been caught in ended when the smaller jammed the knife into the dangling corpses jaw. It's sharp tip drove through whatever was left of it's brain- and out to the other end.

The silent and unmoving corpse punctuated something. Larxene was sure no matter how many times she watched the couples interaction she wouldn't understand what.

He gave the redhead a look Larxene didn't know how to decipher, and then he left the room without a word. The weight of the couples interaction would have been obvious to even _Joshua _were he alive.

The remaining teen cut the phone cord vacantly. A natural vacant. The kind of resigned vacant Larxene had to assume when she woke up to the smell of her owned charred flesh. Or when she had to watch fellow soldiers collapse before her eyes.

She blinked. Not now. Those thoughts were off limits while they were still in general danger.

The tall kid caught the body before it could hit the floor. The corpse was then let down slowly and quietly.

She waited for the other to assume a routine in the kitchen; wash hands, remove food from fridge, check expiration date, sort. Every now and then she'd suggest the quality of the food by the look of it, something she'd learned from her father.

Larxene swallowed thickly, hoping to coat her throat enough to speak again. She had learned how to be authoritative in every situation, and that included a strong voice. She wasn't sure how much saliva she had left- eventually she needed water.

She opened her mouth and snapped it shut seconds later when the blond emerged from the hallway he'd went into.

"The rooms are all safe. No ones here.", and he was gone again.

The distant sound of a door closing marked it was safe to speak again. She opened her mouth, and spoke lowly.

"What just happened between you two?"

As she had suspected the redhead didn't answer immediately, and when he did, he might as well have stayed silent.

He sighed, "None of your business."

The quiet trickle of the faucet was a familiar comforting sound that brought two types of relief. This house had the most important utility, and they had found it first. She vaguely recalled Blondie's lack of scalp blood when he returned to the room. He must have cleaned himself up.

She closed her eyes, and lifted a hand. "It kinda is if you're going to turn into _that_."

Axel didn't turn around to see where she pointed and he didn't need too. Her long finger indicated toward the suicide victim he had just cut down, and he knew she was right.

He was a danger to her and Roxas. Even Robert. The less he told her the less she could do to save Roxas if-... _when _he turned.

Axel had thought about it the moment he had his first lapse_. _He thought about how he could have got sick, when he could have, why he was taking so long to turn... he had no answers then and he had fewer now.

He knew it was killing Roxas more than it literally killed him. But Axel needed him to be ready if something happened to him. If Larxene couldn't be trusted. If Robert wasn't as smart as they thought. If _Axel _wasn't as smart as they thought. The couple had delayed talking about it, mutually agreeing it wasn't the time- and that they weren't ready to.

They still weren't. Axel didn't think anyone could _ever_ be- but it had become an issue when Axel's corneas had darkened to a bloodshot pink, seconds before he threw Roxas over the fence.

The lack of attention he received from the undead group that briefly squeezed between the troubling gap was not lost on him either. They seemed completely unaware of his presence.

"I'm gonna get some tools for your leg. Find some bandages. Maybe a walker. The hanging one had a stumped leg- I might even find a prosthetic for you if we have to cut it off."

Larxene grunted what she thought about getting her leg cut off. It wasn't happening, and it didn't need too. She'd broken many things many times before.

She frowned. She'd never went this long without it getting treated before though.

The redheads words suddenly seemed less facetious and more honest.

"I'll carry you back."

* * *

**Hope you liked it. Next ChapterTommorow. If you liked it, thank you. All follows, reviews, subs, appreciated. Tell me how you are keeping with pace. **


	13. Chapter 13

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Fucktarded

* * *

An exhalation of pure relaxation burst from the female as the spring-less mattress depressed beneath her. Anything felt better than being bent under a car seat- but this was _heaven- __(_may the old people who rested here before her rest in peace).

Roxas sat at the foot of the bed, silent, his back to both her and the door. Light streamed in through small windows at the very tops of the wall above her. Little slats of light from the blinds lit up the blonds back with golden stripes. The sun had fully risen, and he hadn't moved since Axel placed her on the mattress.

She wasn't sure if it was the silence, or the weight of emotion in the room that didn't belong to her. Perhaps the weight of her own _empathy_ was simply beginning to crush her. Whatever it was, she spoke.

"Scratched me up pretty bad back there." She chuckled. When the blond didn't turn around, she swallowed. Then, seriously, she whispered, "Thank you."

He turned around. A brief apologetic smile graced the smaller blonds face, and he whipped his face around again. The brief glimpse revealed a swollen, pink, tear streaked face that made her want to do _things_. Horrible, horrible, _human _things. Like _console _him. Larxene didn't know how to though. So she didn't.

Larxene very easily forgave him for his earlier roughness. He was trying to save them, and a few bruises and scratches wouldn't kill her. Well, if they didn't get infected that is.

"Think they have some alcohol around here somewhere?" She whispered. Roxas nodded, wiping his eyes, and turning around again.

"That's usually a staple household item. Axel's probably looking for it now." He grinned then, "He probably already found it actually, along with numerous other tools I didn't think to look for."

The smile shrank, died, and his eyes began to water with tears- Larxene looked to the wall to avoid having to see them fall. There were a lot of things in her life that she could face head on, battle, and conquer; the tears of another were not one of them.

A quiet sniffle, "I'm sorry. I know this is awkward. I've been sitting here trying not to cry too loud because Axel would get even more stressed out if he heard. Or angry, or- whatever. He's trying to act like he's not affected by this so I won't feel as bad, but that's bullshit! And he_ knows_ it. He's taking everything on himself- and this Seifer plan... that's what_ I_ do- _I_ rush into things without a plan. Not him. This whole morning has just been-" He stopped to wipe his snotty hands on the mattress. May the old people who rested here before them rest in peace.

"Fucking asshole- with that stupid cryptic question, and his_ fucking _resigned attitude." Roxas slumped further."_I'm_ not- I-I _can't_. _Not _me. He can't make me, and I _won't_. I'd rather him just kill me than-"his body wracked violently with the force of his next sob- and Larxene felt a little part of her self grow cold with things other than the temperature.

Her mind filled in the gaps of Roxas' rambling, and she grimaced to herself. Axel wanted Roxas to kill him if something went wrong.

Larxene understood why. She couldn't stand by herself, so fighting him off would be a lot to ask for. Robert wouldn't betray his master even if he was trying to eat him. The only person left who could really put up a fight _was _Roxas.

She understood the redheads actions now. She understood their silent _conversation_ now. She also understood why the blond couldn't do it.

They laid on the bed silently; Roxas sprawled on his back, Larxene contentedly draped over a pillow not far beside him. The smaller had stopped crying, only sniffing every few dozen seconds or so. The younger broke the comfortable silence first.

"I think I thought it would go away- it had been a whole two days, so I thought maybe it wasn't really _that_ diseasethat he caught. If it was, maybe not as strong. I thought whatever it was had gone, or it wasn't serious. The others took hours, sometimes a day at most. "

Larxene cleared her severely dry throat, and spoke, "It depends on how they got the disease..."

The other blonds head snapped up to her clearly having forgotten she was there. He scooted farther up the bed.

"Earlier you said he wasn't bitten, scratched, nor did he ingest any sick person blood?"

Roxas nodded unsure what to make of her questions. Larxene sighed to herself.

She didn't think there was anyway the blond could really _know _that for certain. However, if he _had_ ingested sick blood, it would have infected him a lot quicker than if he'd been bitten or scratched. He'd have already turned. Theoretically that is.

If he was bitten or scratched, it perhaps wouldn't have started giving symptoms so late either. She trusted Roxas would at least be able to ascertain if the redhead was either. There was really only one other option left.

"I asked this earlier and your boyfriend nearly had an aneurysm, but this is just precaution- have you two been sexually active sense this started?"

Roxas sunk into himself, and whispered, "Yes."

Larxene smiled, "Don't look so scared Blondie. If that's how your hubbie got sick, rest assured, you'd have turned before him. And quicker. Or turned _with_ him. Y'know if he got it from you." She looked at him funnily then. "_Have_ you had sex with him sense he got sick?"

Roxas blushed, "I- I hadn't realized-"

"And _you'r__e _not experiencing any symptoms?"

"No. Nothing." he thought, "I mean I have a few moments where I forget the rest of the world, but that's just cause I want to."

She very seriously whispered, "I wouldn't have sex with him from now on. To be safe." she begrudgingly went on, "I don't know how you've been doing the homo with him this whole time without catching _anything; _but you need to count your blessings and leave him alone. At least sexually."

"What about kissing?"

"If I told you _not_ to would you listen?"

Roxas wasn't sure if he answered it would be with the truth. So he stayed silent.

It wasn't as though his boyfriend had lips that made it impossible to ignore, no matter the circumstances. However wonderful it felt to be pressed against them, in everyway, Roxas would stop for the sake of survival. He merely questioned if he wanted to survive.

"Suicide is dumb Blondie. Ginger isn't fighting for nothing."

Roxas startled at the words, making eye contact with stern green eyes. She returned the stare intensely, and silently. Firmly.

He swallowed the odd lump in his throat and nodded slowly. If he ever found out Axel was... _not well _because of him, he didn't know what he'd do. If Axel ever made _him _not well, Axel wouldn't be able to live with it. Axel wouldn't live either way it seemed.

He cleared his throat, and strove for a less weak tone.

"Do you think it's airborne then?"

She shook her head. "We'd all be sick if that was it."

Roxas shook his as well. "But what if me and you are just immune, and Axel wasn't?"

"Why didn't he turn with everyone else then? It's been too long." At the others thoughtful silence, she went on. "I don't have a lot of answers. The few answers I do have, I can't give to you, but I can definitely say if _that _ginger out there lasted _this_ long with all that sick in his body; he's putting up a hell of a fight against it." _for you, _she finished in her mind.

Larxene thought she did pretty good with her words- not too cheesy, not overly idealistic, not a straight lie. Not depressing. She _thought _she did, but the smaller blonds eyes went distant, and watered once more. Before she needed to look away, he was smiling and wiping his eyes, gaze returning to the present- as opposed to the unforeseeable future before them all.

"Thank you." He murmured. She smiled in return, and it reminded him of the wan smiles his mom would give him when he did something silly as a kid. His thoughts made him sigh.

"I wonder how my mom is."

Larxene nodded as her eyes grew distant, "I had just started talking to my mom when this happened." she said. "She's actually a great woman."

Roxas smiled, nose wrinkling in a soft grimace, "Mine is... protective. A little over bearing. Really _anti-this-world_. I know she cares- I think so anyway; but it's made a lot of things harder for me."

Larxene 'hmm'ed, and rolled over onto her back as well.

To the ceiling, "I bet if I was raised by my mom she'd let me get away with stuff my dad didn't." she chuckled softly but sobered quickly,"I didn't know my mom growing up. I grew up with just my dad, and he was a force to be reckoned with, let me tell _you."_

Roxas grinned, "What was he like?"

"'_Protective. A little over bearing._'" She quoted Roxas. The smaller snickered. "He means well but raising me was hard on him. Not cause he couldn't do it, y'know- cause he could do anything. Just- it just wasn't in his personality to care for someone. And he told me that my mom made it too easy for him to do just that, and he couldn't get use to it. Being so open. He said it wasn't really easy for my mom either, and apparently, they were both emotionally fucktarded in the _exact same way_."

"Does he regret it?" Roxas murmured.

She thought, then shrugged. "Who can know? I was afraid to ask. I was afraid he might actually regret raising me by himself. I didn't want a mom. As hard as he was, I liked just having us. That's how it was my whole life; just me and my dad and a few of his camo-friends. That seems dumb to think now, he put up with too much on my end to have stopped caring. But that's what I thought."

"So your dad was in the army too?", he asked. Roxas had already garnished Larxene was involved in some sort of government facility- she had used the words 'head quarters' a lot, and implied she was transporting a fair amount of fire arms when she was ran off the cliff. Her will to live, and rounded knowledge of the undead _alone_ implied a lot. He didn't think she knew much more then she had said. She seemed like someone you would put on the front lines of a war; not in a lab.

"Yeah, he was. That's how he went out too. I never knew the specifics, but he fought, and he lost."- her jaw worked for a number of seconds before it relaxed - "I never got much else out of his comrades."

She swallowed, "Anyway, he didn't care what I went on to do with my life; as long as I did it right. I figured I already grew up like I was in a military camp; why not join one, y'know? It was a dumb idea, but I guess I don't regret it."

She sighed. "Y'know I grew up with some odd bullshit in my head about how she- my mom I mean. How my mom was wrong for not loving my dad enough to teach him how to love. Like maybe, if she'd showed him how to love her; he'd have known how to love me. I mean he was_ really_ hard on me man- no boyfriends, no parties, no nonsense. Straight A's, top of sports, no stupid stuff. He didn't like hit me or anything- the army did _that_- but I didn't get leeway in _anything. _The older I got the worse it got, and y'know, sometimes I don't think he saw me, but his past- and well... whatever fucked up shit he did in it."

Roxas smirked, "I feel like I'm making up for my moms mistakes too. I know for a fact she was off the chain when she was my age- it's how she got me. She doesn't sound as bad as your dad, but she's very controlling. She's not really religious, but somehow she's just as un-waveringly conservative. She's mainly distrustful really. _Oh,_ and she absolutely _hates..." _he trailed off lamely and said nothing. The females eyes cut to him, intrigued.

Roxas had never told anyone about his situation with Axel. The love square of sorts that all pointed to him. The only people who knew were him, Axel himself, and maybe his friend Hayner, (and only goodness knew where he was right now). It wasn't something he wanted to tell others, it made him look all sorts of bad. It made him _feel _all sorts of bad. He supposed that it should. He wouldn't do what he'd done if he felt like he had a choice.

Still, it wasn't something that made him feel very good about himself, and even Larxene, for all her smoothness could possibly look down on him if he tried to explain why.

He was saved from elaboration when the door swung open and one of his many thoughts came in, back first. His hands were occupied with a bright red tray, neatly covered in an array of utensils and bottles.

Axel smiled at the blond- the _female _one- and it was polite enough so that she was immediately suspicious.

"You're lucky this house belonged to two old people who _apparently_ dealt with pain on the daily. I have for you; three types of pain killers, two types of sleeping pills, alcohol, peroxide, a number of burn salves, and lots of gauze."

As he spoke, he turned the many product labels toward her. Larxene grabbed the three pain killers first. Her eyes skimmed the ingredients, glazed, and she handed one of the bottles to Roxas.

"I'm gonna need twice whatever dosage is on that one." she said.

"Is that safe?" the smaller blond asked, even as his hands worked on the cap.

"Probably not for you. But I've used a similar brand loads of times before. I've developed somewhat of an immunity to the recommended dosage."

Axel grimaced, "This is pretty strong stuff. I'll give you three instead of the requested two."

Larxene rolled her eyes, but said nothing else as she was handed said number of pills and _water_. Beautiful _water. _The cool liquid going down her throat did more for her nerves than the pills before it did.

She doubted the painkillers would do more than stop the pain of simple things like _air _hitting her wound. The throbbing however- the excruciating pain of tendons being pushed back in their original place, the stabbing of shattered bone stabbing into her bruised muscles- well that was just gonna have to deal.

"I can knock you out if you want." the redhead suggested. As tough as she seemed to Axel, he knew no one _wanted _to experience the pain of righting a bone, and cleaning numerous open and _infected _sores.

Larxene swallowed thickly, smoothly, and shook her head. Axel shook his too.

"I actually brought the pain killers to use when you wake up. I brought the sleeping pills to knock you out while I took care of your leg."

She thought for a few seconds, "Don't I need to be up to tell you if I feel something off?"

"Maybe if I wasn't a practiced nurse."

"Nurse and doctor aren't the same thing._"_

"_Practiced _nurse and nurse aren't the same thing."

Larxene didn't really like it but; she would botch the job, Blondie boy would chicken out when he _saw _her leg, and Robert didn't have thumbs.

The redhead didn't wait for whatever she had to say next, and she didn't have much to say anymore.

He started trimming away at her jeans with a sparkling clean pair of scissors. Everything on the tray was sparkling clean actually. He must have cleaned them all off before he came in. Maybe he really did know what he was doing.

When he was almost done cutting the necessary sections of fabric off, Larxene was almost done mentally preparing herself.

She sucked in a breath, "This is gonna suck isn't it."

The redhead nodded, "Yeah. It is."

The last bit of fabric was peeled off as slowly as the others- and they all released a slight breath.

It didn't look as bad as she thought it would. It was pink all up and down, and large splotches of purple were apparent. Some of the burns had gotten lightly infected, along with a few scratches from the tumble down the hill. She was sure her leg wasn't the only thing that needed work, but it was the most pressing thing at the moment, and the most painful. The bone in question was most assuredly sticking into the muscles under her knee- though not sticking _out _at least.

"Worse case scenario you'll lose a leg. I _did_ find a prosthetic somewhere." Axel assured lightly, grabbing the alcohol from the table.

Larxene chuckled, "Your bedside manner is atrocious Ginger."

"Just for you.", he mumbled, eyes distant.

His mind was now exclusively focused on the small scalpel in his hand. She let out a shaky breath and watched him clean off the blade for the second time since he came in the room. It was comforting to know he was at least thorough.

"D-did you wash your hands?" Roxas piped behind the redhead.

The ginger in question focused very intense eyes onto the other boy before finally nodding.

Larxene thought it was a dumb question- until she remembered that her _doctor _was turning into a zombie. It was probably_ still_ a dumb question though; he didn't seem the type to overlook such a simple thing.

He seemed even less the type when he brought his hoodie over his mouth and nose, and proceeded to pull on a pair of latex gloves he pulled from off the tray.

"Extra measure." He murmured to himself, perhaps to them. She wasn't sure. The pang came back and she knew even if she _could_ walk; she wouldn't walk away from these kids. Not like this.

"I'm gonna need to clean the surface before I can fix anything on the inside. Brace yourself."

The alcohol laden rag lowered toward her leg, and to her surprise, the smaller male spoke up against it.

"This is gonna _really _hurt Larxene. Your-" He cut himself off as Axels puzzled stare flickered between them two.

Larxene startled to suddenly find herself with an ear full of Roxas. The closeness was innocent, but the heat of another person so close so suddenly still surprised her into immobility.

He whispered into her ears, lowly, and his warm breath whisked against her neck, "You're not weak if you take the sleeping pills. You're not in any immediate danger. And I'd kick Axels ass if he did anything weird like- stick a toothbrush in your leg or something." Larxene snickered and smiled as the other blond pulled back.

"This is going to really fucking hurt. _Please_ take the sleeping pills.", he said aloud for all to hear. Beside him Axel looked a little put out and- yes, that was most definitely a hint of jealousy she detected.

She smothered her smirk and cooly nodded to the other blond.

"If you say so Roxas, but _only _cause you asked me to." She smiled at the happy grin the smaller blond gave her, and obligingly took the pills. That was fucking _adorable_.

Axel watched Larxene's blatantly baiting grin and busied himself with cleaning his make-shift tools, again, while he tried not to sulk.

He very badly wanted to rip open up her leg and drop something in it- like a toothbrush or something.

* * *

The couple waited by her bed for her to fall asleep. It didn't take very long.

Axel wasn't sure if the pills would keep her asleep through the pain, which is why he intentionally sought out pain killers with light sleep-inducing ingredients. They were the kind of things that could only help the already active ingredients of a sleeping aid- but otherwise do nothing but calm the patient.

After prodding the injured females wounded leg several times without even a twitch, Axel decided she was most definitely asleep.

"You two seem friendly." He'd said it as neutrally as he could and it still came out sounding more bitter than he'd wanted to let on.

Roxas smiled down at him easily, "We talked a little while you were in the kitchen. I think she's just not use to having to rely on other people. But... she's not that different from us Axel. A little sharp on the edges, yeah, but she seems nice."

Axel said nothing. Instead, he began rubbing both her legs down with alcohol- her wounded leg twitched, but her face remained calm. He continued his slow and thorough rub down until he thought any grime or dirt left had surrendered.

"She grew up without both her parents. Like us." Roxas whispered. Axel smirked.

"Let me guess; her mother?"

Roxas frowned, "Whats that suppose to mean?"

The redhead sighed. "Nothing, sorry. Just hard to take her at face value whens she's so..._ 'sharp on the edges'_."

Roxas smiled at their unconscious survivor. "No, I get it. You're kinda like her too though."

The other paused completely in his task of cleaning the sleeping womans wounds in order to turn around and face the other.

"_What?_"

"You both aren't very trusting." Then lower, with a weight that implied a lot more, "You play your cards close to your chest. You don't show anything if you feel weak."

The redhead busied his hands and eyes with rubbing around the blotted skin for any other wounds he'd missed. There were none left. None other than the ones hiding within her leg itself it seemed.

Axel knew what the blond was prompting. Roxas waited expectantly for the others reply.

When no reply came he knelt on the ground behind the redhead. He pressed his warm face into the others shoulder. He opened his mouth against the clothed shoulder blade of the other, and kissed the area sighed, long and slow.

"We have to talk about this, Axel. _Please, _don't hide how you feel from me. I know what you're trying to do, and it doesn't work. I don't want to see you toughen up, this...you're hurting me."

"You'd rather see me cry?" He finally spoke, lowly, over his shoulder to the other. His voice cracked, and he hated the sound of it. Roxas shouldn't have to deal with how he himself felt, _and _how Axel felt.

"I want to see you _honest_. I want to hold you- _comfort _you for however long you have left. For...for however long _we _have left."

Axel could never resist him when he cried_. Or when he smiled. Or when he laughed. Or when he was angry. Or when he was breathing. _He would_ never_ do anything to hurt him.

Hearing the other acknowledge things aloud, for them both to hear; it made things realer. More painful.

"Can you...-" Fuck, no, he was _not_ crying right now. Not only would it distract him from Larxene's leg, but any stray fluids from his infected body could get her sick too. "- can you..."

He looked away from the blond- _his _blond- and he held his eyes open until the tears that threatened to spill dried and left them both alone.

"Can you go wait out side for a bit. Like in the dining room. Maybe finish sorting the food."

Roxas understood without him explaining anything- and that hurt too. Roxas was perfect for him in every way, and soon he would have to leave him to fend for himself. He now realized he should_ never_ have asked Roxas to kill him if he turned. He wouldn't have been able to do it if Roxas turned. He'd have sooner wanted to die at his hands than have to kill him- even if he'd turned already.

That meant Axel had to go for him.

The door clicked shut behind him, and Axel got to work.

_Not anytime soon though. Please, not anytime soon._

* * *

**Sorry for late update. Internet is kinda shady lately. After the next chapter, your're going to get updates in more of a trickle. There are some things I want to reexamine in the plot. By trickle, I mean perhaps every other day, or ever 2 days instead of _every_ single day. Eventually, this will go back to everyday though. By 'reexamine in the plot' I mean beta my own stuff, and make sure things are paced for the mind blow you all will get very soon. If you use to read this when it first came out, I really wonder how many of you came back. Thanks for understanding if you did, or atl east tolerating it. ^_^**

******I know how this ends and I still got a lump in my throat writing this. I hope I didn't make any of you _too_ sad. I can't give anything away; but Akuroku is so eternity, very forever, much everlasting. Don't forget that. :3 **


	14. Chapter 14

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Perishables

* * *

When Axel came out the room from fixing Larxene's leg, it was hours later in the afternoon. The female blond had yet to wake up. He was right to only give her three pills. She hadn't moved once during the whole procedure.

To his relief, said procedure only consisted of righting her bones, removing a few troubling bone fragments, and applying a generous amount of salve to any surface burns that needed it. He bandaged her leg slowly, gently wrapped a cloth around her most swollen areas, and left her to sleep for the rest of the evening and night. No limb removal today it seemed. He was sure she'd be pleased.

The redhead was now gazing out the blinds at an empty street that only occasionally sounded with the distant scream of the dead. Or the soon to be dead. Axel couldn't tell anymore.

He meandered around the fallen furniture. The messy state of the house was something he'd noted only passingly when he came into the small chamber. It wasn't too hard to find stuff in it, but it was messy enough that he'd had to step over furniture legs and destroyed appliances before he finally reached the couch. Upon which, his boyfriend rested silently.

He smiled at the calm face of the other and sat down. The house was so quiet that the fabric of his jeans against the couch actually made a racket. It was almost incongruous with the world just outside their door.

He stared for a handful of seconds; at the long blond lashes, at the others soft dimples, before finally scooping the other boy into his arms. He squeezed him to his chest, and he breathed out a long shaky breath.

It wasn't fair.

His eyes began to burn, and this time he didn't block the tears- but none came. That was good. He'd save them for Roxas- who probably wanted to wipe them away himself.

"I love you." he whispered into the sleeping boys scalp. "I love you so much, and even if I die I will never regret any of the time I spent with you. I don't care if I've had to share you, I don't care if I could never have you entirely to myself. But at least I _could _have you. I don't mean to block off how I feel to you, and yeah, I was trying to be strong for you. But I was also trying to stay strong for myself-" the tears were falling now, and Axel only despaired briefly that Roxas wasn't awake to wipe them up. "I... I don't want to be honest with myself. I don't want to _feel _this, Roxas. I am _dying. _I'm. _Dying." _

The tears fell in streams, and holding his eyes open - if only to stare at the dust particles as they fell through the afternoon beams- did nothing to stop them.

"I am so scared Roxas. I'm so scared- and not of dying. I've been afraid of dying since I saw a man with part of his head missing fall on a pole and get back up. I am deathly afraid of something happening to you if I have to leave you behind. I'm afraid you will be alone and no one will be left to take care of you. I know you're not weak, or stupid- no where near it- but I'm afraid-" the force of his next sob chokes his words, "-I'm afraid I might not leave in time to save you from what I'm...turning-" another sob stifled his next words, and he thought, if Roxas was even half conscious, he got the point.

It turned out Roxas was, and no more words were spoken for some time. Sniffles filled the room that weren't his, and a lot followed that were. Smaller hands than his gently wiped away every tear as it fell, and held onto his larger hands firmly.

Axel didn't _cry_. Axel never _cried_. Axel comforted Roxas when _he_ cried, and sometimes got angry, but he _never_ cried. The last time Axel cried he had lost his childhood friend to an accident Roxas still knew very little about.

_Roxas_ cried. If ever his nerves were wracked violently, if he feared for his or the life of a loved one, if he was frustrated _with_ life; Roxas cried.

He helplessly watched the other cry into his sweater, and as they both had expected, he began to cry too.

He should pull away. Axel was sick. He shouldn't kiss him, he shouldn't _want _to, but...

This could be one of the last moments he could.

The redhead wiped his eyes and laughed sardonically, "Been a long fucking time since I cried like this." he sniffed, "I guess I can give a pass for imminent death though."

Roxas didn't register his words, only his mouth moving. He didn't see the hands wiping away tears and snot streaks, only the large warm hands of a friend and lover. And, even now, he couldn't see a sick man; only a man he may never see again.

"I shouldn't kiss you." the blond whispered. It was starting to become hard to see the other in the darkening room.

Axel agreed, "No. You shouldn't.", but he didn't move away.

They stared, waiting for the other to move back or come closer.

Axel swallowed, fully aware of what he should do, and hoping Roxas would have the will power, so he wouldn't have to. The blond did.

"Larxene said I should be sick if I had sex with you after you caught..._it."_

Axel cast his eyes away guiltily, and Roxas rushed to assure him.

"You didn't know-"

"But after I did I should never have kissed- or even _touched_ you."

"We weren't sure- and I _wanted _you to." he swallowed, "I _want _you to now."

"_I _want you to survive."

"I _know _you do, I know, but what if this is our _last_ time, Axel."

Axels breath shuddered. He'd forgotten they very well could _die _during their meeting with Seifer. He must have been so resigned to his own death that he'd forgotten Larxene and Roxas still had a fighting chance.

They shouldn't even be talking like it was an option, and yet Axel was trying to convince his boyfriend that it _really_ wasn't. He wondered if he should be wasting the energy convincing himself.

After a few minutes of silence, "I think I'm immune."

Axel snapped his head up to the other, "What?"

"I think I'm immune to it." the smaller murmured.

"We can't know that-"

"-But _don't _we? We've been having sex at least once every day for the past week." He flushed. "Sometimes more."

Despite the puffy feeling the redhead felt in his eyes, he grinned as well.

"So what, we should just fuck ?"

"That's- _yes, _we should fuck- but I've been thinking about it in more ways than sexual you _derp_." the other boy snickered. "Why didn't I catch it from you?- in all this time I don't feel _any _different. If I could get something from you, wouldn't I have gotten it already? I _have _to be immune or something."

Axel sighed, but silently conceded it didn't really make sense for him to get sick now. He smiled lightly.

"Well aren't you fuckin' special."

The smaller of the two snickered and leaned in for a long, hot, kiss. It was their first kiss of the evening. Their second kiss was soft, chaste, and light. Their third was longer, and warmer. Their foreheads pressed together, and their breaths mingled between them.

A blood curdling scream suddenly penetrated the thick walls. The small smiles the couple shared instantly fell.

"Larxene!-"

"That wasn't Larxene. Stay quiet."

They listened to the scream drag on- indeed it was too distant to be anyone in the house, let alone on their block. It came in spurts of distressed shouts, growing weaker- then abruptly it was cut off. The tail end of it's octaves echoed in the crisp winter air. It was too far away to help even if they wanted to. Even if the person was still alive.

They silently agreed to stay quiet as they listened for commotion that could mean they were in danger. There was none.

It was dark out now. When the sober moment of keeping quiet passed, their eyes returned to each other solemnly. Hands stroking hands, random pressings of lips against noses, and cheekbones.

The blond cleared his throat, "Can we fuck now?"

"You're horrible."

"You _like_ it.", the shorter replied cheekily.

Axel's smile felt like it would split his face in two. He loved this blond.

* * *

Roxas woke up fully clothed, fully sated, and full- if not fully rested. Axel groaned behind him, and Roxas grinned at the sound. He had softly feared the other wouldn't be there when he woke up.

Roxas knew from now on he'd wake up thinking the redhead was gone. He also knew when the redhead _was_ finally gone that he'd always wake up wishing he was there.

The redhead twisted and stretched beside him. The smaller turned to lay multiple kisses all over the others face. Soft, slow, sweet kisses that Axel would do a lot of things to get.

He had a feeling they would be staying as close as possible from here on out.

THe strained his eyes in the sparse light of winter morning, and shifted toward the other, "Do you want to have breakfast for a bit?"

Axel smiled, "Well we _need_ to eat." His hands ran up and down the others palms gently.

The blond rolled his eyes shifting closer, "I meant a _nice _breakfast. I know we can't exactly cook, but they had some nice stuff. Lots of sweets, and fruit. Mainly fruit.", he smiled at the other, something Axel could only see when he squinted.

A smooch to the cheek, the nose, the ear, and the blond was bounding into the kitchen.

Axel smiled after him, watching his shadowy figure move through the dark.

His eyes were able to relax as the light of the fridge flicked on and illuminated the blonds handsome features. He quickly reminded himself that he had _time. _He was _here. _They could have a nice breakfast, and make out again before Larxene woke up, and eventually feed her too.

"Do you think Larxene would like pineapples? They have a _lot _of pineapples in here..."

_Or _they would have a nice breakfast _with _the woman. He sighed.

"Do we _have_ to wake her up?"

Roxas grabbed the last bits of food out the fridge; they were all spoiled. The apocalypse was only a few days in... why was there this much bad food?

Without turning around he said, "Nah, we don't have to. We can just leave her on the bed- I mean we fixed her leg. She can just lay there until it heals and go on about her life I think. She's a strong lady, she can handle it."

Axel sighed into his hands, and decided there was no way of getting around the woman.

The sun was low on the cliff when breakfast was done being prepared. The house was lit with a dark blue in every room that had a window. Enough light streamed in through the blinds to allow Axel to see Roxas clearly as he came back into the room with a slightly groggy Larxene.

For fear of drawing unwanted noses nothing was cooked. A considerable amount of fruit, sweets, and juice were available for eating however. In short, anything you didn't have to chew more than twice to swallow- they had it.

Roxas smiled as he placed Larxene into the chair beside his. They had taken a folding table out one of the back rooms to eat on. The more things they found in odd places, the more Roxas wanted to know just _what _happened in this house.

Roxas shivered as he ate his food and silently thanked whatever force had prompted them to dress each other after they had made love. The suns light had not yet reached the house; so it's heat hadn't either. It was _freezing_.

He blushed to himself. _Made love. _The words did embarrassingly warm things to his body and he thanked the low lighting in the room. Still, Larxene snickered.

"May the old people who rested on that couch before you rest in peace."

The thick blush on the blonds cheeks thickened, and Axel smirked to himself somewhere behind them.

Regardless it's origin, the table stayed up with the weight of three pairs of elbows and the occasional paw as they all ate.

"None of this was in the cans right?" Larxene asked. The redhead answered.

"Nah. Figured we'd eat the perishables first."

Roxas nodded, "We already bagged all the cans we would need until tomorrow too. We hoped at least by then we'd be in a house across the street from the mall, or the mall itself. So we could just look for food in there."

"I wouldn't bet on finding too many other houses like this. It's pretty early in this system breakdown. That zombie crowd out there looks too small. Some of these families must be in their homes, waiting, or in the mall maybe. I don't think anyone would go to the mall after the fact though. "

"Except for us, of course." Roxas joked. Axel chuckled, and the female blond only smiled wanly.

"Find any backpacks?"

Roxas chuckled, "Old people don't have backpacks; _but_ they_ do_ have duffel bags. _Sturdy_ old duffel bags."

"Sounds heavy."

Axel shrugged, "Not much of a choice unless we're going to depend on the contents of any empty houses along the way. "

"Nah, not saying that. Why don't we leave Joshua?" the redhead gave her a flat look and she sighed. "Oh. Right."

There was a considerably large amount of cans left over, even after their raid. If Roxas didn't know any better he'd say two sets of people lived in this house, at two different times; and he_ didn't _know any better.

He cleared his throat. "They had a lot of rotten food."

Axel slowed his eating to listen. Larxene nodded in thought.

"You know how old people stock up." she suggested. The other blond shook his head though.

"There was only one dead body, and everything is broken."

She sighed, "What are you trying to draw out here?"

"I think two sets of people lived here. "

"Well we'll be gone before they get back so don't worry about it too much." Axel assured.

Larxene didn't look up when she softly said, "If they hadn't already returned that is."

He looked over the redheads shoulder at the corpse next to Joshua with an undertone of sadness that he hadn't thought to have before.

They ate in general silence, a comfortable silence, and every now and then the humans would feed their canine companion slabs of meat that were just a little too raw for a human to eat.

Even Larxene ripped off bits of her vegetable servings, and let Robert have what she either couldn't eat, or thought she could live without. She could live without a few broccoli sprouts. Robert would live longer with them.

She watched the dog lick away at the meat, and tentatively take bites every few seconds.

"That can't taste good, even by doggy standards."

The couples eyes followed her words, and they both frowned.

"Is there a way to warm it without the scent trail?" the other blond questioned. Larxene nodded.

"I would need something that can trap the smell though. Something adsorbent We used it to heat up noodles when we didn't want to draw foreign noses. 'We' as in me and the soldiers I mean."

Axel swallowed down a piece of cold tuna and said, "I always thought that's what the army bars, and _no-heat-required_ water cooked meals were for."

Larxene nodded slowly, "_Yeah_, but sometimes we don't listen, and we have _exactly_ what we need to disobey." She smiled, and let her gaze travel around the room. "It couldn't trap all of the smell, cause we had to take it out and eat it at some point. But if you left it in there while it cooked, and let it cool down in there too- It dulled the smell _dramatically._ Sometimes it was still warm too.."

Roxas regarded Larxene excitedly."What do we need?"

Larxene grinned slowly, and then began to fervently explain to the blond the different types of adsorbent fabrics, and containers.

As she explained the difference between _adsorbent _and _absorbent, _Axel was watching the exchange more than listening. He decided, he was _not_ going to miss watching Roxas unwittingly snatch up hearts. Larxene watched the smaller blond talk too attentively. And she smiled too often. He had stopped receiving the wolfish grins, and the predatory smirks every time Roxas spoke to her a little too close, or touched her to explain something. It now seemed she was genuinely interested in what Roxas had to say. She was not even aware when Roxas gave her the innocent touches that made Axels blood boil over.

He tried to remind himself this was good. Roxas was as gay as they came; but he needed a friend. He needed someone who could protect him. Larxene, if not the nicest person, had at least proven she was apt to take his place. Perhaps she'd be even better than him at providing once she healed. Robert wouldn't let the blond get hurt too bad either.

_I promised myself I'd stop thinking like this. _

He jumped when a smooth hand ran through his hair.

"Axel?"

Roxas watched the redhead visibly relax out of his thoughts, and didn't need to wonder what he was thinking about. He understood.

"Sorry," he said to the smaller male. Roxas removed his hand from the crimson locks with a soft forgiving smile.

_It wasn't fair._

He cleared his throat, and regarded both blonds seriously, "I was thinking we could go through some of the houses on the way to the mall. Look for more tools. "

"Might not be the best idea. I don't think _all_ these houses are empty. Probably shouldn't have a confrontation before our _real _fight." She said. Axel agreed, but they were lacking in a lot of things right now.

He turned to her and spoke slowly, "I don't want to do things like we've been doing them. Without backup plans, without _plans, _and without any idea how to escape. You were right, we've been lucky up till now. I don't want to rely on luck any more."

"That's all dandy ginger, but what I said still stands. It's dangerous."

"Larxene-" he calmed himself, and lowered his voice, "I am asking for your _help_."

Larxene sighed through her nose thoughtfully, and regarded the redhead with more respect than she'd shown him thus far. She nodded.

The group spent a few minutes short of an hour debating strategies, discarding said strategies, and creating new ones. It was coming to the time where Larxene had recommended they leave in order to get to the mall before noon _and _make a few house calls along the way.

* * *

Roxas was splashing warm water on his face when Axel announced it was about time to go.

He sighed. He was really hoping for a shower, but Axel was unsure if the smell of heated flesh was something the undead picked up on. Or were their noses no more heightened from when they were alive? After the unnatural creature they encountered before they arrived at the apartments, Axel didn't know what to expect.

Roxas zipped up the front of the jacket he had found, and breathed hot air into his hands. Time to go.

When he opened the bathroom door Axel was standing there, gazing down at him with unreadable eyes.

Roxas stared back and waited for the redhead to either move out the way or say something. When he didn't do either he tried to step around him. The redhead stepped in front of him.

Finally, "You were quieter than usual last night."

Roxas smirked, "Didn't want to get eaten."

"We'll agree to disagree. "

Roxas snickered, "What do you want Axel?"

Instead of answering, the taller boy grabbed the smallers forearm and felt around his wrist searchingly. Roxas frowned at him.

"What are you looking for?"

"The bite marks you made trying to muffle your screams."

The blonds face flamed and he shoved the other roughly enough to push him back a few feet. They were in the hallway now, and the light of the window lit up the redheads hair as he laughed.

"You're _horrible__._" the smaller boy groaned.

"You _like _it."

From the room over. Larxene intoned, "The couch _and_ the bathroom. How adventurous."

The couple snickered to themselves.

* * *

The group huddled by the front door, re-zipping zippers, fastening the gloves and hats they had taken from around the house, and mentally preparing themselves for the walk to the edge of the neighborhood.

The tunnel wasn't far; but the possible stragglers they might encounter along the way worried them.

Larxene cleared her throat.

"Alcohol?"

"I have it in the duffel."

"Food cans?"

"Duffel."

"Bandages?"

"I wrapped your leg with the whole roll, so we can just cut off what we need later."

She looked at said leg and nodded, "So you did. Smart. Flashlights?"

"Pockets."

She continued down the list of stuff they had both claimed to have found in the house; pills, peroxide, knives, batteries, matches, water...

"Am I missing something?"

"Uhm...the watch?" Roxas thought aloud. She nodded.

Axel pulled down the sleeve of his sweater. "I got it."

Roxas nodded.

"Shouldn't Blondie be wearing it? Sense, y'know..."

The boys shared a surprised look, and the redhead swallowed.

"Right. Uhm." he unfastened the rose-pink watch from his wrist and handed it to the blond. The smaller boy stared at it like it baffled him. Maybe it did.

Larxene hadn't meant to disturb them, but if Ginger turned with that watch on him, it'd be a lot easier if no one had to wrestle it off him. She didn't think he had a lot of time left. It'd be a lot easier to kill him and then get it off, but Larxene had a feeling no one here was willing to kill him but her.

It turned out no one else here was willing to wear the watch either.

"Why don't you wear it Larxene?" Roxas suggested. She nodded slowly.

"Axel, how bout that walker, you find that thing yet?"

The redhead shook his head. "Sorry, nothing. Whoever was here last must have taken it with them. They might have dropped it along the way though.

After snapping on the watch, she took on her military persona, and addressed the two forwardly.

"It's 7:25. Everyone have their weapons?" Larxene asked.

The boys nodded. Roberts tail wagged. She nodded.

"Let's move."

* * *

**This is late as fuck. I am so sorry. But to my defense, I am redoing a bit. Nothing related to the plot. I can't wait to hear what you guys think. As always thanks for follows, favs, subs, reviews, I appreciate them all. They are all motivating. To just know someone still reads and enjoys my stuff.**


	15. Chapter 15

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD

Dark Tunnels

* * *

Each human was immediately unsettled. You always wanted to know your enemy was close- you could keep an eye on them that way. This was wrong.

They peered through the open door, all scanning the street that was as quiet as it was empty.

No distant moans, no far off screams, no undead grunts of frustration sounded the streets. Silence.

When no one else moved beyond the doorway, Axel unburdened himself of Joshua's body, lowered the corpse to the ground and veered out into the dim morning.

The blonds waited for him to come back. A minute. Two minutes.

When he finally walked back in, he closed the door behind him, and threw his back against it. His movements, though not urgent, were definitely alarming. Wide eyes scanned his companions, for answers, for questions, and they grew ever more distant.

Before either blonde finally asked what he'd seen the answer tumbled out the redheads mouth in one breath.

"They're dead. They're all dead."

Both blonds shared surprised, uncertain glances.

Roxas helped the survivor hobble with him to the windows toward the back of the house.

They couldn't see much of the street, but what they could, lacked the zombies that should be there.

" I want to get a closer look." Larxene mumbled. Roxas wanted to as well.

* * *

They were outside, leaning against the edge of the house, peering around the corner of it. The redhead said it, their eyes saw it, and their ears did not hear any undead grunting to the contrary.

They were dead. The _un_dead mob, that had once surrounded the house and car- they were all _really_ dead. Some parts of the lane were completely covered in corpses, and others trailed closely behind in quantity. They were all strewn haphazardly around, and when they squinted- yes those were indeed bullet wounds in the heads of faces that were otherwise unmarred.

Larxene shook her head and moved back while Roxas still peered. "Somethings not right.", she said.

"The numbers.", the redhead informed.

Upon further glance Larxene realized that, yes, the numbers were what was off. There were far too many corpses down there for the amount that had been outside yesterday.

It was not that the undead mop of corpses that baffled the group. It was the implications of their quantity and time of death.

Shakily,"Why?", Roxas whispered. His heart was breaking the more children he spotted in the pile of cadavers.

She watched the smaller blond analyze the aftermath of what had to be a brilliant massacre with more sadness than she had the nerve to allow herself to feel. Things were going to continue to be hard for the kid if he emotionalized everything so often. If he _empathized _so often. She understood; she was once like that when she was first recruited- but she quickly learned that there was a certain amount of detachment you needed in warfare to avoid going insane. She still wonders if she ever actually succeeded, or if she merely stunted herself emotionally. Like her father.

"They were looking for me.", she said.

"Not Joshua?" the redhead asked.

"You're suppose to have the dead kid."

Axel silently conceded the point by going inside to retrieve the aforementioned corpse.

To Roxas, she said,"They must have circled back around to see if I was really dead. During your deal, when you mentioned the mall... they probably figured you had to be close by if you were willing to walk the distance." She watched the redhead adjust Joshua on his shoulders as he reemerged from the house. "It looks like they came back to make sure I was really dead, and wouldn't be found before you reached the mall."

Axel tied the sleeves of the corpse in a tight knot and said, "And the extra bodies?"

Larxene actually wasn't sure about that.

"Look at the doors."

The male blond indicated toward a row of doors that were all damaged in some way. Some had scatters of bullet sized holes, some were completely ajar. Two houses had busted windows.

They all rightly concluded that Seifer must have decided to check the nearby houses for anyone who had perhaps rescued the survivor and kept her safe within their home. The result of which was fruitless, and apparently frustratingly so.

Over his shoulder as he surveyed the street, the redhead asked, "Could they still be nearby?"

Larxene shook her head. "I don't think so. They never stay in one place too long. Probably babysitting the area around the mall for when we come by now. We should avoid this area to be safe. But I think it's safe to continue with our plan."

He moved to stand beside them."We should keep moving then. Does your coat have a hood?" he asked. She nodded.

"You should probably put it on. They are looking for you, and I see a very slow, very..." he peered around at the bodies once more. There were so many. "...Very _painful_ death for us if they catch you before we've gotten what we need from them. Or they got what they want from us. Keep your head low."

She nodded and used the arm that was not wrapped around Roxas neck to erect the hood of her thick coat over her head. She tried not to see the blatant sexism in the fact that she was given all the largest, and warmest clothing items, as though _she _was the weakest here.

_You are the weakest right now. You can't walk. They're trying to help._

She sighed and nudged the silent blond beside her into motion. The redhead had already hoisted Joshua's legs over his forearms, and had started down the street.

Not far behind Roxas followed with Larxene.

* * *

"Why didn't we hear it?"

She shook her head until the part of her coat that covered the mouth rested under her chin."Hear what?" she asked.

They had reached the end of the main road, and had made the right onto the road that led to the tunnel. The left that would have originally taken them up the cliff to their car, could no longer do so. The car was gone. The couple shared brief perturbed looks, looked away, and continued their journey. They assumed it was stolen and put it out their minds. More pressing things were overwhelming Roxas thoughts.

"The guns. When they killed all those people. Why didn't we hear any bullets?"

"My guns have silencers.", was the curt reply. That answered that. "No idea why we didn't hear them screaming though."

The color drained from his face, and Larxene understood.

She said more than asked,"You heard someone." He nodded.

The longer he held his eyes in the haunted glow of regret and guilt, the worse she felt. She moved her arm and gave him an awkward shoulder pat that she was relieved to have go unnoticed.

"We should have helped them." Roxas whispered. It appeared as though he still stood on the hill, looking down at the aftermath. She sighed.

"You couldn't possible have saved them." At his skeptical glance. "You should only save someone if it's not at a great loss to you. If the odds are in your favor, and if you don't go in losing more than what you would come out with."

"We saved _you_." He reminded her. She smiled, and it appeared as though the expression pained her.

"You _really_ shouldn't have. When you saw no weapons in my car, that my leg was broken, and that I was surrounded with the stiffers; you should have walked away."

"But how can you _say_ that?"

"Because the odds that you would successfully get me out alive, and _safely,_ were low. I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't save me. Just like I don't blame the apparently numerous families who stayed in their homes instead of helping me out of my car."

His stomach sank. He hadn't thought about it before now, but she was right. Assuming Seifer had indeed only pulled families from the street Larxene's car had crashed on, all of them would have heard and saw she needed helped. None of them helped her.

That didn't mean they deserved to be killed though.

"So you think they deserve to die?"

"I think they didn't _want _to die, and they had no way of saving me even if they _were_ willing to risk their lives for me. Just like you when you heard that scream."

"She's right, Roxas."

When he looked up next, his boyfriend was staring at him with a firmness that was maintained as he spoke his next words.

"We would have died trying to save them. There was nothing we could do."

He swallowed thickly, remembered to breathe, and said nothing else for some time.

The sun was up, but the trees that neatly lined the sidewalks and backyards kept their traveling in the shadows. The trees only grew this tall on the edges it seemed. It was dubiously convenient for the trio.

Axel constantly scanned the houses, the trees, the yards, hoping to notice any stalkers- dead or otherwise. Larxene did the same whenever she heard suspicious movement. Between the two of them, they found nothing, and appeared to be alone.

It was exactly 8:15 when the redhead suddenly stopped and asked to trade deadweights with Roxas.

"I'm not a dead weight you moron."

"That's not what your inability to walk by yourself said."

"Axel..." Roxas intoned. He secretly attempted to repress a smirk of his own.

They hid behind a particularly large tree, with their backs to the cliff, as they traded.

Larxene grumbled at her new walking buddy, and Roxas tried not to laugh at the insults they threw at each other for as long as it took Axel to tie Joshuas sleeves around his neck.

Larxene, being alive, could easily wrap her arm around Axels neck, and all he had to do was hold her around the torso to make up for the leverage she didn't have with her leg. Joshua, being dead, couldn't do anything to help the blond carry him. He was taller and heavier than Roxas. Thus, the solution was to fasten the corpses sleeves in a double knot, and higher up on his shoulders. The only thing Roxas had to worry about holding was the kids legs up. He got the hang of it.

When Joshua was securely against the blonds body, and Axel had secured the duffel against his back, the second smallest blond in the group smiled up at the redhead.

"Thanks."

Axel only smiled at him. Roxas stole a quick rough kiss, flushed at his forwardness, and went to keep watch on the sidewalk. Behind him, Larxene watched with more than a little disappointment.

Axel hauled her up from her place against the tree.

She drawled, "Sure you can handle me, Ginger."

He snorted, "I'm _pretty_ sure I can carry you. Unless you're fatter than you look."

"Orif you weigh as little as you _look_ like you do, _spik__y__-hips_."

"Y'know, I _can _drop you."

"Blondie wouldn't _let _you."

"What makes you so sure?", and to his credit, he didn't scoff once.

"Because." She grinned. "Blondie, _likes_ me."

He narrowed his eyes, and stopped the beginnings of a smile from erupting into complete laughter. Instead, he adjusted her weight; which would only be too much on a smaller woman. Larxene was indeed, not fat, but _a lot _of woman to heft around. If she were in perfect health, he had no doubts she could swiftly take down the average sized man.

"Really?", he breathed.

"Not like that spiky-hips. I mean he likes me like a friend. He _trust_ me."

"Do you trust him?"

Her answer was quick, and surprising."I don't know yet."

He blinked."After all he's-"

She cut him off, "Look, thank you for saving me. Really. But that doesn't mean if things came to it, you wouldn't give me up to someone if they asked."

"Are you so special that someone would ask us to give you up?"

Laxene didn't answer, and Axel knew she wouldn't; but he had to let her know just _why, _if not Roxas, why _he _didn't trust her.

He'd suspected for a while Larxene knew more than she had told them. The timing surrounding her crash, the amount of weaponry she'd had on her, the amount of_ information_ she had about the infection; it all hinted toward someone who perhaps knew this apocalypse was going to happen before it did.

"Look you don't have to tell me anything. But you can't expect me to trust you if you won't be forthcoming."

"My job requires that I am _never_ just that."

"Your job? Is that even relevant at a time like this?"

"Yes, it is, whether you believe me or not. You want me to spill all the secrets I know about the governments lunch shifts too?"

"Let's be mindful here; _we _saved you. Not your cadet, not your fellow soldiers, and certainly not anyone at your _job." _To his surprise, her face paled. _Ah, not so unaffected by the world __as you'__d like__ to let on._

"Just how long _was_ that signal going? Cause by my calculations you fell off that cliff at least a day and a half before we heard you. Why didn't anyone help you?"

Actually... that was a good question. A day and a half before Roxas and Axel heard her signal would be a Wednesday. Last Wednesday was four days ago, and two days before Crenshaw had any hint of the living dead...

There were still dozens of people in their homes who could have helped Larxene out her car, and four days ago, Wednesday, there wouldn't have been any zombies to stop them. Crenshaw news said people were only getting sick five days ago. In fact the news had reported the nation was _still_ only sick. Not cannibalistic.

'_The world went to shit on a Monday', _she had said. Did Hallow Bastion encounter zombies a whole six days before the rest of the world?

Three days ago, was the following Thursday, but that night was when they saw the undead old woman. The world should have went to shit on a _Thursday, _or even_ Friday morning__. _And yet, Larxene's directions seemed to imply she had already encountered them a week before most of the world would.

On the radio she'd said,_'...They haven't noticed me, but they can smell blood, it'll only be a matter of time before they smell mine. I have weapons, please.'_

To himself, he marveled, _Larxene's didn't have to know before it happened. It just happened here first._

Things were slowly making sense. The hint of two sets of people living in the house. The quiet families in their homes.

So...Hallow bastions sick turned into zombies at least 2 days before the rest of the world. Zombie-knowledgeable-ex-soldier makes numerous runs back and forth over zombie ridden neighborhood for weapons. Zombie-knowledgeable-ex-soldier still mainly answers to a headquarters that she still finds relevant; even in a zombie apocalypse. Zombie-knowledgeable-ex-soldier has extensive knowledge of the area.

Perhaps she lived here though.

Casually, the redhead asked, "Do you live here Larxene?"

"No."

"Not even close?"

Her eyes cut at him suspiciously, but she slowly admits, "No."

...Zombie-knowledgeable-ex-soldier has extensive knowledge of the area...that she doesn't appear to live in.

"So is this ground zero?..."

He was bluffing, this didn't have to be ground zero, and there were at least four other ways to take the information he had just figured out.

...But the survivors face remained so deathly stoic and un-moving that the redhead knew he was right; or at least deathly close to something_ else_ he shouldn't know.

He'd figure out later what to do with that information.

"Is this the tunnel, Larxene?"

Both the woman and the redhead snapped their heads up to see both Robert and Roxas looking back at them expectantly. Indeed, half a foot ball field away was a wide tunnel. The end was not visible from where they stood.

"Yeah. That's it."

They continued to walk, and Larxene finally said, "I can't tell you anything. I've already said more than I should to you two. There are things I can't say."

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes, "Why do _you _think, Ginger?"

"If anyone was listening to you, they'd have come and killed you already."

"That's not it.", and she truly sounded distressed. She shook her head. "Forget it."

For the first time, Axel contemplated the idea that perhaps Larxene was as much a victim as them.

* * *

The tunnel was larger up close. More than they had expected. It was also surprisingly longer they would find out. The end was not visible, even as they stood directly before it. It was going to be a long dark walk.

"Let's get out the flashlights." Roxas mumbled a few feet before them.

As Larxene rummaged through the small duffel on Axel's back, the redhead spoke lowly into the space beside her ear to ascertain the male blond would not hear him.

"I won't ask you anymore questions. You don't have to trust me, but please trust Roxas. He fought me very hard to rescue you, and he sees something in you that I personally _don't._ Watch his back, take care of him. I'm not asking you to spill your secrets; but the ones that matter- the ones that will keep him _alive_- he needs to _know_ those_._"

Eyes a paler shade of green than hers desperately searched her expression. She would never promise anything she didn't know if she could deliver on. But she didn't have the strength to say no. So she said nothing, and continued digging for the flashlight.

Despite her silence, Axel saw his plead had at least affected her enough to make her think about it. That was good enough for now.

Lowly, "Here, Ginger."

Axel took the flashlight from her gloved hands...and handed it back to her.

Without looking at her he said, "You hold it for now."

Larxene felt like a lot more was being asked of her than simply holding a flashlight. Blondie was right. She hated Gingers cryptic implications too.

"Are you certain it's empty?" Axel found himself asking. Even from his stance a few paces in front of the tunnel, his voice bounced off the walls. He listened to it continue to bounce farther away, and start on the long journey without them.

"We could try to lure out anything inside. No telling if only a stiffer will hear us though."

Axel considered her words, and finally decided against any luring. The tunnel was long, and whos to say they call the attention of more than just the dead by making more noise than necessary.

They didn't turn on their lights immediately. The light of outside illuminated their path for as long as it took to reach a turn in the tunnel. It was as though the walls and ground dissolved into pure blackness after that.

The tallest blond flicked her light on, and the beam showed nothing beyond small patches of grass, and rock. Nothing else. They all stood, hesitant to enter the darkness.

"Can your dog smell them?", she murmured. The redhead nodded.

"Robert, do you smell anything?", Axel whispered. The hiss of the 's' in 'smell' bounced longer and louder in the tunnel than any of his other words. The redhead cringed and waited.

Robert was already sniffing.

Through his eyes, the darkness was not as intense, and the path went on clearly for a few dozen yards before darkness met him too. Through his ears, the patter of smaller mammals, and voices beyond the tunnel alerted him they were not completely alone.

Through his nose, he could smell nothing like the stench of the moving dead people. The moving dead people smelled different from the really dead people. But something smelled off.

The voices stayed ever more present, and Robert didn't think his companions wanted to meet them.

The retriever looked at his humans, and padded onward, leading them all further into the tunnel.

The humans watched him fade from the light, and prepared to follow him down the tunnel.

"I guess that means it's safe"

In a low voice, "Low voices everyone. They won't travel as far. If you can, don't speak at all."

She nudged Axel forward with her arm, an into the darkness, before Roxas could move forward beside them.

* * *

**AN: Thaaaanks for reading everyone. Oh, and thanks to my new story favs and followers! Those feel good to see. Would love to hear what you think, but all is much appreciated either way. Sorry for delay, hope it wasn't too long. I've had this done for weeks, but it didn't feel right. It felt very dragged on. But I fixed it, and I like how this flows better. Ooo, plot twist. Yum, right? :D**


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